Movies Like A Passage to India (1984)

A Passage to India is a 1984 adventure, drama, history film from David Lean with a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Heat and Dust and Kim.

Adventure Drama History

Heat and Dust

1983

Anne is investigating the life of her grand-aunt Olivia, whose destiny has always been shrouded with scandal. As Anne delves into the history of her grand-aunt, she is led to reconsider her own life.

6.1

MagicScore

Kim

1950

During the British Raj, the orphan of a British soldier poses as a Hindu and is torn between his loyalty to a Buddhist mystic and aiding the English secret service.

6.2

MagicScore

Bhowani Junction

1956

Anglo-Indian Victoria Jones seeks her true identity amid the chaos of the British withdrawal from India.

5.9

MagicScore

The River

1951

Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the Bengal river around which their daily lives unfold. Enriched by Renoir’s subtle understanding and appreciation for India and its people, The River gracefully explores the fragile connections between transitory emotions and everlasting creation.

7.2

MagicScore

The Drum

1938

Set in the India of the British Raj, the evil and untrustworthy Prince Guhl (Raymond Massey) plans to wipe out the British troops as they enjoy the hospitality of Guhl's spacious palace. It's up to the loyal young Prince Azim (Sabu) to warn the troops of Guhl's treachery by tapping out a message on his drum.

5.8

MagicScore

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer

1935

In the Northwest Frontier of India, the 41st Bengal Lancers led by the harsh Colonel Tom Stone are having trouble with the rebellious leader Mohammed Khan. Surly McGregor and wry, blue-blooded Forsythe are officers in charge of newcomer Lieutenant Stone, the commanding officer’s inexperienced son. Motivated by a grudge toward his father, Lt. Stone allows himself to be captured by the enemy.

6.6

MagicScore

The Deceivers

1988

India, 1825: the country lives in mortal fear of cult members known as the “Deceivers." They commit robbery and ritualistic murder. Appalled by their activities, an English military man, Captain William Savage, conceives a hazardous plot to stop them. In disguise, he plans to himself become a “Deceiver” and infiltrate their numbers. Ever present in Savage’s adventures is a sense of dread; he is in constant fear of betrayal and vengeance and also undergoes a disturbing psychological transformation as he experiences the cult’s blood lust firsthand.

5.3

MagicScore

Carry On Up the Khyber

1968

Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond looks after the British outpost near the Khybar pass. Protected by the kilted Third Foot and Mouth regiment, you would think they were safe, but the Khazi of Kalabar has other ideas—he wants all the British dead. But his troops fear the 'skirted-devils, who are rumoured not to wear any underwear.

6.5

MagicScore

The Stranglers of Bombay

1959

In 1826 British-ruled India, the secret Cult of Thugee demonstrates their worship of their goddess, Kali, by the mutilation and mass murder of thousands of Indians while pirating the shipments of the British East-Indian Tea Company. As the British military leaders play down the implications of the piracy and disappearances, a lone captain realizes that they are not just coincidence and sets out to uncover the source of the deviltry, at the risk of his career. Based on history.

6.5

MagicScore

#10

The Painted Veil

2006

A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.

7.3

MagicScore

#11

The Rains Came

1939

Indian aristocrat Rama Safti returns from medical training in the U.S. to give his life to the poor folk of Ranchipur. Lady Edwina and her drunken artist ex-lover Tom Ransome get in the way, but everyone shapes up when faced by earthquake, flooding, and plague.

5.8

MagicScore

#12

The Soul Keeper

2003

Zurich, 1905. Nineteen-year-old Russian Sabina Spielrein is put by her parents in a psychiatric hospital, suffering from a severe form of hysteria and refusing to eat. A compassionate doctor, Carl Gustav Jung, takes her under his care and, for the first time, experiments with the psychoanalytical method of his teacher Sigmund Freud. Thus is born a sweeping story of love and passion, of body and soul, soaring to the utmost heights, but also plunging to the darkest depths of the 20th century.

6.5

MagicScore

#13

I Origins

2014

A molecular biologist's study of the human eye has far-reaching implications about humanity's scientific and spiritual beliefs.

7.6

MagicScore

#14

Aamir

2008

A doctor of Indian origin returning to Mumbai from London is forced to participate in a terrorist plot.

6.6

MagicScore

#15

The 13th Warrior

1999

A Muslim ambassador exiled from his homeland joins a group of Vikings, initially offended by their behavior but growing to respect them. As they travel together, they learn of a legendary evil closing in and must unite to confront this formidable force.

6.7

MagicScore

#16

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

2001

In 1890s India, an arrogant British commander challenges the harshly taxed residents of Champaner to a high-stakes cricket match.

7.3

MagicScore

#17

The Lost City of Z

2017

A true-life drama in the 1920s, centering on British explorer Col. Percy Fawcett, who discovered evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization in the Amazon and disappeared whilst searching for it.

6.4

MagicScore

#18

Laal Singh Chaddha

2022

Events in India's history — from the Emergency and the famous Cricket World Cup win to the Punjab riots — unfold from the perspective of an innocent Sikh man Laal Singh Chaddha, a person with a low IQ but high optimism. Laal is able to achieve everything under the sun but his childhood love continues to elude him.

6.4

MagicScore

#19

Fortress

1985

After being kidnapped by four masked men, a teacher and her students rebel by plotting against the criminals.

6.8

MagicScore

#20

Mysterious Island

1961

During the US Civil War, Union POWs escape in a balloon and end up stranded on a South Pacific island, inhabited by giant plants and animals. They must use their ingenuity to survive the dangers, and to devise a way to return home. Sequel to '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' .

6.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like A Passage to India?

The top films similar to A Passage to India by MovieMagicScore are Heat and Dust (6.1), Kim (6.2), Bhowani Junction (5.9). Each shares adventure/drama/history themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is A Passage to India worth watching?

A Passage to India holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10 from 312 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is A Passage to India?

A Passage to India (1984) is a adventure, drama, history film directed by David Lean, starring Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft.

Where can I find more recommendations like A Passage to India?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more adventure recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Heat and Dust Movies like Kim Movies like Bhowani Junction Movies like The River Movies like The Drum Movies like The Lives of a Bengal Lancer

About movies like A Passage to India

This ranked list pairs A Passage to India (1984), a adventure and drama and history film from David Lean, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Judy Davis take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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