Movies Like Pudhiya Vaanam

If you liked Pudhiya Vaanam (1988), a drama and action movie directed by R. V. Udayakumar, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Padayappa (1999)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and action
Padayappa, a mechanical engineer whose father gives up his property to his foster brother, and then dies of shock soon after. Neelambari initially loves Padayappa, but plans to humiliate him after his family humiliates…
2
Asuran (2019)
★ 7.6/10Also action and drama
A family from the underprivileged class is on the run after the teenaged son kills a rich man from the upper caste. Can the pacifist father be able to save his hot-blooded son?
3
Theri (2016)
★ 6.9/10Also action
When an honest cop, Vijay Kumar's family is ruthlessly slaughtered by a politician and his aides, he decides to change his identity and commits his life to bring his daughter up in a serene atmosphere. But some freak…
4
Soorarai Pottru (2020)
★ 7.8/10Also drama and action
Nedumaaran Rajangam "Maara" sets out to make the common man fly and in the process takes on the world's most capital intensive industry and several enemies who stand in his way.
5
Kaala (2018)
★ 6.4/10Also action and drama
Karikaalan consistently fights to keep the people of Dharavi, a slum in Mumbai, safe from the clutches of mighty politicians and the land mafia don, Hari Dhadha.
6
True Grit (1969)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy on a mission of 'justice', which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, 'Rooster' Cogburn because he has 'true grit', and a reputation of…
7
Oscar Shaw (2026)
★ 6.6/10Also action
After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the…
8
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American…
9
Kodi (2016)
★ 6.1/10Also action and drama
A young politician finds himself in a position where he has to contest against his girlfriend, who is ambitious. Circumstances force his look-alike twin to also get involved in this political battle.
10
Yennai Arindhaal (2015)
★ 6.9/10Also action
Sathyadev, who is on a career break, is forced to put on his cop shoes ones again to save Thenmozhi, a young woman who is the target of a criminal organ harvesting group, led by a ghost from his past.
11
DSP (2022)
★ 6.2/10Also action and drama
A flower seller's son ends up in a tussle with a ruthless rowdy in Dindigul, forcing him to become a policeman and fight the odds.
12
Por Thozhil (2023)
★ 7.3/10Also action
Loganathan, a senior cop is asked to mentor Prakash, an academically bright but faint-hearted rookie and this unlikely duo team up to investigate a series of murder cases, and realize all of them are interlinked and…
13
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight (2002)
★ 6/10Also action
After being punished for retreat from combat, Ranger David Martel is given command of the Liandra, a haunted 20-year old Minbari fighting ship. He's escorting ambassadors to a secret archaeological site, the oldest…
14
No Name on the Bullet (1959)
★ 6.6/10Also action
When hired killer John Gant rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies capable of using the services of a professional killer for personal revenge.
15
Meiyazhagan (2024)
★ 8.2/10Also drama
Twenty-two years after losing his home, Arulmozhi Varman returns to his native Thanjavur to attend his cousin's wedding. Amidst the celebrations, Arul is reintroduced to an upbeat man whom he cannot recall. With the…
16
Battleground (1949)
★ 6.7/10Also action and drama
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Holley and his American compatriots have already seen one of their…
17
Leo (2023)
★ 6.8/10Also action
Parthiban, a cafe owner, lives with his family in Himachal Pradesh. Things take an absurd turn for him when he gets in the way of a drug cartel.
18
Skater Girl (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
19
Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces…
20
Viswasam (2019)
★ 6.2/10Also action and drama
A village ruffian, who settles disputes in his native, takes on a big shot when he tries to sort out the rough patch in his marriage after several years.