1950s Indian Movies

Saamri, an evil magician, causes trouble in the lives of Prince Jalal and his princess. As the situation worsens, the prince sets out to destroy the magician.

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Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Alone, his wife, Sarbojaya, looks after her rebellious daughter, Durga, and her young son, Apu, as well as Harihar's elderly aunt Indir. The children enjoy the small pleasures of their difficult life, while their parents suffer the daily indignities heaped upon them.

A charming and reckless man finds his easy-going life of adventure and romance suddenly threatened when he must outwit a ruthless, unseen enemy who views life and love as nothing more than a dangerous game.

Sunil Kumar and Geet decide to marry for love a decision which leads to many problems.

Two siblings turn inseparable after the death of their parents. Things take a turn after they get married to their respective partners.

A sweeping tale of an idealistic, struggling writer whose passion for his craft and his love for a devoted woman must withstand the harsh tests of poverty, betrayal, and society's indifference to prove that character is the true Anmol Ratan.

The story is of a family consisting of a mother and her five sons. A relative causes discord. The mother argues they need to stay united like the walls of a room to avoid collapse.

Apu, now a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer, is invited to join an old college friend on a trip up-country to a village wedding.

A young prince named Ashok falls in love with a girl named Lali whom he encounters for the first time while hunting in a forest. Later on he learns that Lali belongs to a nomadic community that is at present, inhabiting his region. Ashok meets Lali again and both confess that they are in love with each other. In the meantime Lali's father, who is the head of his community, sends a man named Phulwa to look for her.

The plot revolves around the once popular genre of Rakhi relations, a bond between brother and sister.

An aging, decadent landlord’s passion for music becomes the undoing of his legacy as he sacrifices his wealth in order to compete with the opulent music room of his younger, richer neighbour.

An impoverished woman named Rani (Padmini) escapes from her abusive and predatory drama company owner, Babu (S.S. Rajendran), after being robbed and finding herself unconscious in the car of wealthy stage actor Raja (Sivaji Ganesan). Mistaken by Raja for a rich runaway named Leela, Rani plays along and joins his new theater troupe, leading the two to fall in love. However, the vengeful Babu attempts to sabotage their romance by poisoning Raja during a live stage enactment of Socrates, setting up a dramatic climax where the lovers must overcome this deadly plot to finally unite

A poverty-stricken woman raises her sons through many trials and tribulations. But no matter the struggles, always sticks to her own moral code.

After Kattabomman's execution at Kayattar, his brother, Oomadurai, becomes the ruler of the town Sivaganga. Seeing this as an opportunity, the British attack and invade the town with a powerful army.

Apu and his family have moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Benares. As he progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, eventually studying in Kolkata, we witness his academic and moral education, as well as the growing complexity of his relationship with his mother.

A peasant and his followers take up banditry and rebellion in response to unjust taxation from wicked deputies of the King. Robin Hood style.

Mohanasundaram, a philanderer and drunkard, gets married to Chandra after he returns to India. Though he has a wife, he develops a relationship with Kantha, a prostitute.

The legend of the romance between Mughal prince Salim and Anarkali.

Impressed by his bravery, a king treats his rival and his daughter as guests after a battle. The king's senior commander gets attracted to her and plans to kidnap her.

When a spoiled heiress runs away from her father's yacht to marry her wealthy fiancé, she is forced to rely on a cynical, jobless newspaper reporter to get her across India, inadvertently falling in love with him during their misadventures on the road.

Directed by D.D. Kashyap. With Shekhar, Geeta Bali, Begum Para, Leela Chitnis.

1951 Indian Tamil-language historical adventure film

1959 Indian Malayalam-language film

A petty thief is put on trial for the attempted murder of a lawyer. Through a series of flashbacks, the intertwining lives of the thief, the lawyer, and the thief's defense lawyer are illustrated.

Born into the opulence of a Lucknow palace, a young man’s silver-spoon childhood is shattered when his mother succumbs to a sudden cardiac illness. Driven by grief and a newfound purpose, he dedicates his life to medicine, becoming a heart specialist to save others from the tragedy that defined his youth.

Landlord Narayan Rao's son Devdasu and Parvathi, their poor neighbour's daughter, fall in love. But Devadas's family does not approve of the relationship.

A philosophical drama follows a disillusioned man's journey to rediscover his lost humanity in a society that has forgotten what it means to be a true human.

Bengal's struggle to get rid of British domination by terrorism and underground intrigue.

Kotayya (Ranga Rao) is a kind man. He marries Rami. She succumbs to pressure from Gopala Swamy and elopes with him, leaving her husband. Rami and Gopala successfully plan and send Kotayya to jail. After returning from jail, Kotayya becomes a rowdy drunkard. He plans to take revenge and kill Gopala Swamy.

In this loose adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, childhood sweethearts Kamla and Shankar are separated and grow up in different worlds. The girl is brought up to be a priestess, while the boy becomes a dejected thakur, turned vindictive by life's injustices. Fate inevitably brings them together again, but Kamla does not know about her beloved's secret.

Vijay, a destitute poet, searches for true love while attempting to get his work published. With the assistance of two women in his life, his dream comes true - but at a cost that causes Vijay to rethink his worldview.

Hindi film from 1955

In a fit of rage, King Narendra orders his men to chop off his son Sarangadhara's limbs in a forest. However, Meghananda comes to the rescue of an injured prince and asks him to pray to Lord Shiva.

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Narada, sensing Rambha’s attempt to disrupt a rishi’s penance, provokes her vanity and orchestrates events that humiliate her on Krishna’s birthday by honoring Kalavathi and Vidyadhara as a dance pair. Though bound by rivalry and jealousy, Vidyadhara and Kalavathi fall in love and meet secretly. Nalacoobra, driven by desire, spies on them, deceives both through disguises, and causes Vidyadhara to believe Kalavathi is unfaithful. Heartbroken, Vidyadhara leaves Dwaraka, and Kalavathi sets out alone to find him. Nalacoobra repeatedly pursues and tries to violate her, while Rambha, cursed by Indra and blinded by jealousy, plots Kalavathi’s death. Kalavathi endures storms, deception, and exile, yet remains devoted. Ultimately, Rambha manipulates Kalpalika, a fanatic devotee, into preparing Kalavathi’s sacrifice at the Bhubaneshwar temple in pursuit of divine power.

Amidst a troubled kingdom that currently has no ruler, a revolutionary finds himself to be a lookalike of a prince who was to be crowned king. He takes his place but can he outsmart the real culprit?

A conspiring uncle separates the twin sons of his sister, the queen. One becomes his uncle's pawn while the other grows to be a brave and honest man, who inadvertently learns of his true parentage.

A wealthy, scheming rival attempts to halt the marriage of Prakash and Rani through blackmail, but the young lovers and their friend execute a cunning counter-scheme to expose the plot and ensure a double wedding.

A small time criminal turns over a new leaf with the help of a bishop and starts leading a new life with a changed identity. When Inspector Javert finds out about this, he tries to expose him.