Best movies like Pakeezah

Amiran is sold to a brothel by a corrupt cop after her father testifies against him. Many years later, she grows up to be an accomplished poetess and a renowned courtesan, Umrao Jaan.

Bollywood film about the famous courtesan of the title. Aishwarya Rai stars in the lead role. The film is directed by J.P. Dutta and also stars Shabana Azmi, Sunil Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Divya Dutta, Himani Shivpuri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. A remake of the original directed by Muzaffar Ali and released in 1981.

Naanu, who always speaks the truth, is married to Swathi. However, he is soon pursued by Rathi and is forced to accept her love but finds it difficult to let go of his obsession with Keerthi.

A royal mistress, Vaishali, is sent to bring sage Rishyasringa to the kingdom of Anga. After Rishyasringa follows Vaishali, he performs the ceremonies to break the curse and make it rain in Anga.

Alan Quartermain's son comes to Africa to find the treasure his father was unable to bring home.

A transgender woman returns – with her two male lovers – to her family home in the countryside to look after her dying mother.

Ganga Singh lives near Gangotri with her brother, Karam. One day she comes to the assistance of a young man, Narendra Sahay, who has come with a group of Calcutta-based college students to study the source of the holy river Ganga, and to get some holy water for his wheelchair-bound paternal grandma. Both are attracted to each other, and on the next Puran Mashi get married, and spend the night in close intimacy. Narendra leaves, but promises Ganga that he will be back soon. Months go by, but he does not return. She gives birth to a son, and as soon she is able to, she starts her journey to Alipor, Calcutta, to confront Narendra and ensure a better future for their son.

Jane Eyre is an orphan who was raised by her aunt until she came to Thornfield Hall as governess to the young ward of Edward Rochester. But Jane is attracted by the intelligent and energetic Sir Rochester, a man of almost twice her age. But just when Sir Rochester seems to pay attention to her, he invites the beautiful and wealthy Blanche Ingram to stay at his house.

A humorless and pompous businessman goes wild when he falls in love. Now if only his domineering mother could understand his new lease on life.

Prabhu, a college student, falls in love with Shruthi, a governor's daughter. On knowing about their love affair, her father imprisons Prabhu and forbids him to meet Shruthi.

Thakur Suraj Singh lives a wealthy lifestyle with his wife; three sons - Kishore, his wife Laxmi & two children Pappu and Laali; Vijaykamal, & Mohan; and an unmarried daughter, Radha. Kishore looks after the family business, while Vijaykamal is a renowned poet, and Mohan is studying law in the city. Vijaykamal is in love with lovely Sapna, but she is forced to marry Bihari, and kills herself on the night of the marriage. Vijaykamal witnesses her death and loses his mind. The family decide to keep him under lock and key on the terrace of their house. Unable to admit Vijaykamal to a mental asylum, Suraj brings home a young courtesan, Chand, who he hopes will cure Vijaykamal, and she does succeed considerably, but is traumatized, sexually assaulted by Vijaykamal, and abused by the rest of the family.

Widowed Welsh mother Anna Loenowens becomes a governess and English tutor to the wives and many children of the stubborn King Mongkut of Siam. Anna and the King have a clash of personalities as she works to teach the royal family about the English language, customs and etiquette, and rushes to prepare a party for a group of European diplomats who must change their opinions about the King.

Two feuding neighbouring families are brought together to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Vishnupratap Singh (Vikram Gokhale) and his wife (Farida Jalal), much to the dislike of Rudra Pratap (Sharad Kapoor). During this get together Abhayendra Singh (Fardeen Khan) falls in love with Mangala Solanki (Richa Pallod). Abhayendra comes to know of the background of the two families' feud, and makes attempts to reconcile the two families - with disastrous results.

Abhimanyu movie is all about Hari (Mohanlal) who is a welder in a small factory, witnesses a gang-related murder and gets inadvertently involved with the underworld. The murder of a benevolent local boss complicates life in the slum where Hari lives, causing his slow transformation to a life of crime. Decent performances, in an otherwise weak script.

Day-dreamer and Artist, Pyarelal, lives a poor lifestyle in Bombay with his retired dad; housewife mom; married brother, Mohan and his wife, Malti; and unmarried sister, Vimla. It is now time for Vimla to get married, her dad has saved a thousand Rupees, while Mohan has made arrangements for six hundred more, and Pyarelal is asked to arrange for four hundred. Instead Pyarelal brings home one hundred rupees, informing his family that he has been fired from his job, and will be unable to raise any more money. An argument ensues, and Pyarelal is asked to leave. He leaves, swearing only to return when he is a famous and wealthy man. He meets with pretty actress, Asha, both fall in love with each other, and he starts acting in the theater, and achieves quick success. He starts sending money and gifts home to his parents, and hopes that they will be pleased with his success. Then one day when he feels that he has achieved his success, he returns home...

The loving relationship between a small boy Nandu and a Nautch girl Pushpa. Pushpa is seperated from her Husband and is brought to Calcutta to work as a Nautch girl. Here she meets Anand Babu and thus begins the journey of Pushpa where love enters and leaves her life in different form.

Camille is a courtesan in Paris. She falls deeply in love with a young man of promise, Armand Duval. When Armand's father begs her not to ruin his hope of a career and position by marrying Armand, she acquiesces and leaves her lover. However, when poverty and terminal illness overwhelm her, Camille discovers that Armand has not lost his love for her.

The son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.

Veronica is brilliant, gifted and beautiful, but the handsome aristocrat she loves, Marco Venier, cannot marry her because she is penniless and of questionable family. So Veronica's mother, Paola, teaches her to become a courtesan, one of the exotic companions favored by the richest and most powerful Venetian men. Veronica courageously uses her charms to change destiny -- and to give herself a chance at true love.

A 16th century prince falls in love with a court dancer and battles with his emperor father.

After his wealthy family prohibits him from marrying the woman he is in love with, Devdas Mukherjee's life spirals further and further out of control as he takes up alcohol and a life of vice to numb the pain.

Childhood sweethearts grow up in a small village with a love-hate relationship which changes to love when they mature.

Two souls arrive in a small town, one on vacation, the other to meet a lover. They spend the most magical dream-like days of their lives in that town... with each other.

Ram and Balram are 2 young boys who live with their loving parents. Their scheming uncle, Jagatpal, however kills the boy's father and mother. Jagatpal lies to the boys that their parents have been killed in an accident and promises to raise them himself. He enrolls the younger brother Balram, in school and eventually sends him off to join the police force. The older becomes a mechanic. Jagatpal has a tight hold on the boys, even when Ram is an adult, he still gives all his wages to his uncle and is only allowed to keep a few rupees for pocket money.

Indra opens in a village in Andhra Pradesh showing the rivalry between two families. A police officer wishing to end this hostility comes up with the proposal of marriage between the two families which ultimately is used by Shivraj as a trap to finish off his rival. After the funeral, no one is willing to stake claim for the leadership of the clan when the young Indrasena Reddy comes in and tells his grandmother that he will.

A student must navigate issues of sexuality, identity and family amid Sri Lanka's social turmoil of the 1970s and 1980s.

To pay for his sister's marriage, a brother enters into a criminal conspiracy to impersonate the nephew of a wealthy male.

The son of a wealthy family, Monish falls in love with Deviyani, a girl from a considerably less privileged background. When Monish leaves to study abroad, the lovers plan to reunite, but desperate financial straits force Deviyani into a marriage with a philandering drunk instead. Deeply unhappy, she flees, taking her infant daughter with her and vanishing into thin air. Does fate have more than misery in store for the unfortunate Deviyani?

Sunder Khanna is an orphan and lives a poor lifestyle in India. He is friendly with wealthy Gopal Verma, the only child of Judge Verma; and a wealthy girl named Radha, who is the daughter of an army Captain. The trio grow up, and Sunder falls head-over-heels in love with Radha, but she as well as her parents reject him.

Growing up at a zoo, young ballet dancer Sophie always loved animals - but none as much as her pet elephant Sheba. When her parents are forced to sell Sheba to a travelling circus, Sophie has no choice but to runaway and join him on the road to get him back.

Akhtar Hussain saves the life of Nawab Salim, and earns his gratitude. Salim invites Akhtar to come to his palatial home, and Akhtar does so. On the way, he meets beautiful Saltanat, and falls in love with her. On arrival at Salim's house, Akhtar is treated with utmost respect, provided employment, and a place to live. Akhtar meets with Saltanat and both plan to get married. Unknown to them, Salim also loves Saltanat, but Saltanat rejects his advances, and proposal, leaving his heartbroken. Soon Saltanat and Akhtar get married and settle down. Saltanat soon gives birth to a son. Salim is very affectionate with this child, and the child too grows to like Salim. Akhtar, meanwhile, has fallen in bad company, drinks alcohol, and romances a courtesan.

A woman married to a wealthy socialite, is compromised by the accidental death of a man who had been romantically pursuing her, and is forced by her mother-in-law to assume a new identity to save the reputation of her husband and infant son. She wanders the world, trying to forget her heartbreak with the aid of alcohol and unsavory men, eventually returning to the city of her downfall, where she murders a blackmailer who threatens to expose her past. Amazingly, she is represented at her murder trial by her now adult son, who is a public defender. Hoping to continue to protect her son, she refuses to give her real name and is known to the court as the defendant, "Madame X."

In a remote region in India there has been a tradition of settling differences by fighting a duel with pistols with only one bullet in each of them. Such was the duel fought by Shankar and Thakur Bhavani Singh, with the latter emerging as the victor. Years later, Bhavani's son, Prithvi, returns from London, meets Shankar's son, Gora and daughter, Tara, befriends them, and eventually both Tara and Prithvi fall in love with each other. When Bhavani finds this out, he wants Prithvi to marry Rajeshwari, who comes from a rich family, and will destroy Gora Shankar and his tribe of gypsies. Unable to make up his mind, Prithvi ends up marrying both women, leading to Tara giving birth to a son, Pratap. Bhavani is enraged when he this out, he has Tara and a lot of their people slain, and their homes torched. Gora himself is arrested by the police, and sentenced to several years in prison...

The wealthy patriarch of a Mumbai family learns more than he wants to about his own origins after his refusal to accept his sons' chosen spouses drives them and his own wife away.

Yusuf lives a wealthy lifestyle with his businessman dad, Safdarjang, who is confined to a wheel-chair. When Yusuf's precocious nephew, Khalid alias Phirangi's tutor, Mrs. Albert complains about him and quits, Yusuf hires Shabana, who along with her granny, have come to live with them for a short period of time. He also hires a man named Khairudin as a servant to look after his dad. Yusuf and Shabana are attracted to each other and intend to marry, much to the joy of Safdarjang and the granny. The wedding preparations are on, but there are a couple things Yusuf and his family do not know. One is that Shabana is the daughter of a Courtesan named Najma; and that Khairudin has secured employment in order to kill Yusuf.

A taxi driver with a tragic past sees an opportunity for redemption when he encounters a woman sold into prostitution. Wanting to help her escape, he has to deal with the wrath of the brothel madam.

Beautiful young heiress, Kajal, is the only daughter of wealthy industrialist Kishorilal. She has fond memories of her childhood male friend, Sanjay, and would like to meet him now, and get married to him, and thereby fulfill their promise they had made when they were children. She meets an eligible young man, who identifies himself as Manjeet Kumar Tana, and she likes him. This young man assures her that he will introduce her to her childhood sweetheart the next day. When she goes to meet Sanjay, she is shocked to find that the young man claiming to be Manjeet, is just a Manager, and it is then she gets to meet the real Manjeet, and both eventually fall in love with each other. But once again, Kajal's heart is broken, when she finds out that Manjeet's real name is Rajesh, and he is part of a deceptive plot that involves her abduction.

A shortage of zoo animals after World War II brings beautiful animal trainer Tanya, her financial backer and her cruel trail boss to the jungle. After negotiating a quota with the native king, they take more animals than allowed. Tarzan intervenes.

Tohfa (English: Gift) is a 1984 Bollywood drama film produced by D. Rama Naidu on Suresh Productions banner, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Starring Jeetendra, Jaya Prada, Sridevi in the lead roles and music composed by Bappi Lahari.[1] The film is a remake of Telugu movie Devata (1982). The film became a hit and took the top spot at the box office in 1984.

Deepak, an ordinary young man with a big heart, and Aarthi, an attractive, middle class girl.

A British soldier escapes from 1880s Khartoum and goes down the Nile river with a fellow soldier, a governess and the daughter of an emir.

This movie depicts the life of once wealthy poet and nobleman Mirza Ghalib. This story portrays his trials, tribulations, triumphs, and ultimate descent to poverty, and then to prison; and his tragic and ill-fated love with a beautiful courtesan named Chaudvin.

A sergeant officer lives a life of a loner, reads literary classics and dreams about acting. On his journey by train, he madly falls in love with a prostitute, but her pimp - another passenger on a train - is not willing to let her go, which makes their destiny tragic.

On the day of her marriage, the bride goes missing. She ends up in a brothel, compelling her wealthy husband to pretend that all is well to keep the family's honor intact.

A singer by profession, Suraj gets stranded in resthouse in the coutnryside during a rainstorm. While there he experiences ununsual feelings, as if he has been there before. He feels himself transported to another time and era, to another birth, and drawn to a woman named Ratna. He is unable to leave this experience behind him, and decides to find out what this means. He discovers that in his past life he was a Chief Singer in the emperor's court, his name was Prakash and he had fallen in love with a courtesan named Ratna, much to the chargin and anger of his family and the emperor's and his officials. They are tragically separated. He subsequently comes across a portrait of Ratna, and shortly after he meets a gypsy, Jhumri who looks exactly like Ratna. Soon Jhumri is also able to recollect her past life, and her love for Prakash.

Gautham, who runs a restaurant, falls in love with his friend Kannan's cousin, Sandhya. Problems arise when Gautham learns that Kannan's parents want Kannan to marry Sandhya.

After an old college friend offers him a job at an iron foundry, the upright and honest Ishwar leaves a shanty town on the outskirts of Calcutta where he lives with a group of refugees from East Bengal. With plans to forge a solid living for himself, sister Sita and Abhiram, an orphaned boy he offers a home to, Ishwar is accused of selling out and deserting his people.

When a medical student from a middle-class family falls in love with an affluent English-speaking pretty girl, he is unable to express his love to her due to his inferiority complex.

An erotic thriller from the director of Psychopathia Sexualis, THE LITTLE DEATH offers a peek into the seedy boudoirs of a Victorian-era brothel, where a strong-willed reformer (Courtney Patterson) and a corrupter of innocence battle over the fate of a young woman (Christie Vozniak) who seems to be held there in sexual captivity. While the owner attempts to mesmerize and seduce the would-be rescuer, a meek student (Clifton Guterman) wanders into the house and becomes a tragic pawn in the psychological game of cat-and-mouse that is rapidly unfolding.

The Yosemite Valley Railroad, which runs through the breathtaking scenery and stunning vistas of Yosemite National Park, is on the brink of failure. The grandson of a Chinese railroad laborer embarks on a romantic, but ultimately doomed, quest to save this railroad from being sold for scrap. His love of trains finds him working as a railroad-man, instead of at his father's profitable business. He manages to locate a wealthy eccentric investor to help him acquire the railroad, but its financial inviability makes this a quixotic reprieve, at best. The film also portrays the anti-Asian racism present in America at the conclusion of World War II.