Best movies like In Custody
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Ismail Merchant's feature directorial debut addresses a subject close to his heart: the expressive Urdu language of Northern India, in danger of extinction as political trends and modernization obscure its contributions to Indian culture. Merchant 's treatment is wry and good humored , as his characters - an aging Urdu poet (Shashi Kapoor) and a worshipful young college lecturer - clash despite their shared passion for the beauty of words. Anita Desai adapted her novel with Shahrukh Husain, incorporating poems by Urdu author Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The movie won the President of India Gold Medal for Best Picture in 1994.(http://www.merchantivory.com/custody.html).
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 391
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, India
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: insightful, parallel cinema, clever, humorous, realistic, contemplative, semi serious, biting, surprise ending, suspense
Best tv shows and movies like In Custody (1994):
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The Mystic Masseur (2001)
Plot Summary:
Circa 1940 in Trinidad, still a British Colony, lives Ganesh Ramseyor, of East Indian origin, along with his wife, Leela. He longs to reach out to people, especially to Hindus, in order to promote the Hindu Faith, and be known as a writer. He does get considerable success, so much so that he becomes famous as a miracle worker, having cured a man of sharing intimacy with his bicycle; prevented a man from believing that he can fly; and convincing a young woman to end her fast. His fame spreads all over the island and thousands throng to seek his blessings, which he does dole out quite benevolently, without charging any fees from the poor and the needy. He then decides to spread his wings by challenging the local politician Pandit Narayan Chandrashekhar alias Cyrus T., and takes over The Hindu Organization, thence opening his way to a seat in the prestigious Member of the Legislative Assembly.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 474
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, India, Trinidad and Tobago, USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: meditative, talky, touching, serious, realistic, crying, mystic, weeping, fairy tale, light
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Ruben, Ruben (1983)
Plot Summary:
Based on a novel by Peter De Vries. Story of an alcoholic, lecherous Scottish poet on a tour of New England Universities, where he goes from one bed and bottle to another.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: independent film, clever, offbeat, realistic, witty, talky, semi serious, eighties
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Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978)
Plot Summary:
This lighthearted romp through Royal India presents a world of Maharajas, palaces, imperiled art objects, and the foreign collectors who will stop at nothing to possess them. Peggy Ashcroft and Larry Pine star as two rapacious art collectors who come to the decaying Art Deco palace of a young Maharaja (Victor Banerjee) to examine a legendary collection of Indian miniature paintings. While vying with each other to get the pictures away from the royal couple—nicknamed Georgie and Bonnie as children by their Scottish governess—they must also divine the true motives of the Indian curator of the collection (Saeed Jaffrey), who, in league with the Maharaja’s beautiful sister (Aparna Sen), may be working against them. Amidst the backdrop of lavish tourist entertainments, Christmas parties, fireworks, and even an English ghost, a desperate game of palace intrigue will determine the ultimate resting place of the priceless paintings.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 137
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: India, UK
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: clever, humorous, realistic, contemplative, stylized, semi serious
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The Classic (2001)
Plot Summary:
A self-loving fictional autobiography of author Kari Hotakainen.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 854
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Finland
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, captivating
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Les Jours venus (2014)
Plot Summary:
An ex soixante- huitard is forced to look back at his past .His kids look at him like an old soldier from a very distant war.His banker called him urgently.His last script idea is refused.He remembers meeting his wife in Sarajevo during the war.Most importantly he can't figure out the meaning of the concept of camera/catastroph.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 74
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: clever, realistic, humorous, talky, semi serious, offbeat, contemplative, postmodern
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Purely Belter (2000)
Plot Summary:
Gerry and Sewell are broke. Gerry's still at school and Sewell is unemployed/ They botyh wish for better things in life. Owning two season tickets to their beloved football club is their biggest dream of all. The tickets cost £1000 - they're £1000 short. But they are nothing if not resourceful, and they set themselves a mission to raise the cash. While they think up increasingly outlandish money making schemes - from selling junk to shoplifting and the odd bit of housebreaking - real life begins to interfere with the pair's final scam going hilariously awry landing them in jail, only to discover that their punishment gets them exactly where they want to be!.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, social, realistic
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A Merry War (1997)
Plot Summary:
Gordon Comstock is a copywriter at an ad agency, and his girlfriend Rosemary is a designer. Gordon believes he is a genius, a marvelous poet and quits the ad agency, trying to live on his poems, but poverty soon comes to him.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: cult classic, clever, humorous, witty, realistic, semi serious, independent film, sexy, thought provoking, intellectual
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A Matter of Heart (2009)
Plot Summary:
Garage owner Angelo and big-time film producer Alberto find themselves occupying neighbouring beds in a Rome hospital after suffering heart attacks. Alberto is a gregarious joker - and chain smoker - who has a strong effect on the impressionable Angelo. However, as one of the men's condition deteriorates, the other becomes more deeply involved in his personal life.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 875
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, offbeat
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I Couldn't Care Less (2000)
Plot Summary:
This European take on twenty-something woe introduces viewers to Jorge (Alejandro Cano), a self-help author suffering from writer's block who thinks he may be gay. Living with Jorge is Marta (Maria Jurado), a bisexual who wants to have a baby. Included in their circle are Eva (Melanie Olivares), Jorge's ex, and Alberto (Alvaro Gallegos), a gay man Jorge meets at a New Age healing session presided over by Ines (Begona Hernando). A number of encounters ensue, Marta moves in with the piggish Mario (Fernando Cayo), and Jorge decides to write a book based on his own experiences.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 91
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sentimental, humorous, semi serious, realistic
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Tomorrow's Another Day (2000)
Plot Summary:
Such an inconsequential event - the unfortunate purchase of a package of cling film - reveals the character and behavior of a small group of individuals caught up in the chaos of today's society. Though it creates arguments and inner questioning, this event - and its various consequences - also creates bonds.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 535
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, clever, offbeat
Similar in 76%
Monster in a Box (1992)
Plot Summary:
This is the story of Spalding Gray and his attempt to write a novel. It is a first person account about writing and living, and dealing with success while trying to be successful.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 870
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: independent film, clever, witty, talky, humorous, realistic, semi serious, psychological, tense, philosophical
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Bollywood Calling (2001)
Plot Summary:
An alcoholic, cancer-ridden American film-maker decides to produce a Bollywood movie.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 400
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: India
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: humorous, captivating, realistic, semi serious, spoof, parody
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Three and Out (2008)
Plot Summary:
A London tube driver considers pursuing a third fatal accident to collect a huge payout.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, witty, clever, semi serious, offbeat, cynical, biting, black comedy, dark comedy
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James' Journey to Jerusalem (2003)
Plot Summary:
During his journey to Jerusalem young James learns the meaning of being Israeli.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 593
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Israel
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, humorous, realistic, semi serious, clever, contemplative, biting, suspense
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King Uncle (1993)
Plot Summary:
Ashok Bansal has a traumatic childhood which teaches him that money matters most to people, even more than their kids. Ashok starts hating poor people & starts working hard to get out of poverty, at the expense of his own family. However, Ashok’s life changes forever when Munna enters his life.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 171 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious
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The 92 Minutes of Mr. Baum (1997)
Plot Summary:
Balding advertising executive Mr. Baum spends more time on a new ad campaign for purple sunglasses than he does with his own family. But suddenly he is forced to reexamine his life after a doctor tells him that he has an 'aggressive' brain tumor and will die in 90 minutes.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 183
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Israel, France
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, thought provoking, clever, humorous, tragicomedy, realistic, surreal, contemplative, cynical, semi serious
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Local Hero (1983)
Plot Summary:
An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, touching, witty, sweet, talky, scenic, cynical, realistic, semi serious
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State and Main (2000)
Plot Summary:
A Hollywood Film unit invades a small Vermont town leading to wholesale abandonment of values and virtue. A smart, warm and funny movie - and not just for movie buffs. Tagline: When a film crew came to Waterford, Vermont - They Shot First And Asked Questions Later.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, talky, funny, melancholic, cynical, stylized, realistic, clever, witty
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My Son the Fanatic (1997)
Plot Summary:
Pakistani taxi-driver Parvez and prostitute Bettina find themselves trapped in the middle when Islamic fundamentalists decide to clean up their local town.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: talky, multicultural, independent film, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, light, thought provoking, enigmatic
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West Is West (2010)
Plot Summary:
Comedy sequel to "East is East". Manchester, North of England, 1975. The now much diminished, but still claustrophobic and dysfunctional, Khan family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan, the runt of the litter, is deep in pubescent crisis under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. So, in a last, desperate attempt to 'sort him out', his father decides to pack him off to Mrs Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 35 years earlier. It is not long before Ella Khan (Mrs Khan No2) with a small entourage from Salford, England, swiftly follows to sort out the mess, past and present.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, humorous, witty, sentimental, semi serious, realistic
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Malamaal Weekly (2006)
Plot Summary:
Lilaram sells lottery tickets and one customer has hit the jackpot but dies of shock upon finding out that he has won. Now, Lilaram wants all the money, and so does everyone around him.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, feel good, captivating, entertaining, realistic
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Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016)
Plot Summary:
Four ordinary women, inflicted by silly societal norms, have to steal, lie, cheat and hide in order to lead the lives that they rightfully deserve.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: clever, humorous, captivating, entertaining, realistic, stylized, erotic, offbeat, mumblecore, avant garde
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Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008)
Plot Summary:
Mahadev (Shreyas Talpade) is an unemployed graduate with a Bachelor of Arts from Satna college, who is forced to make a living writing letters for the uneducated people of his village. His real ambition is to become a novel writer. Through his humble occupation, Mahadev has the potential to impact numerous lives. The movie is a satirical, but warm-hearted portrait of life in rural India.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: humorous, touching, realistic, semi serious
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American Desi (2001)
Plot Summary:
This is a fun-loving romantic comedy reminiscent of the great teen films of the 80's.From Kris, an All-American boy from India, to Ajay, an Afro-Centric Hindu homeboy, to Farah, a devoutly religious but modern Muslim girl, 'American Desi' tells the story of a unique set of characters and their culture from a decidedly hip and youthful point of view.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA, India
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, sex comedy, independent film
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The Falling (2010)
Plot Summary:
Natha a poor farmer from Peepli village in the heart of rural India is about to lose his plot of land due to an unpaid bank loan. A quick fix to the problem is the a government program that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide. As a means of survival Farmer Natha can choose to die. His brother is happy to push him towards this unique 'honour' but Natha is reluctant. Local elections are around the corner and what might have been another unnoticed event turns into a 'cause celebre' with everyone wanting a piece of the action. Political bigwigs, high-ranking bureaucrats, local henchmen and the ever-zealous media descend upon sleepy Peepli to stake their claim. The question on everyone's lips - "Will he or Won't he?" As the mania escalates, nobody seems to care how Natha really feels.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: black comedy, semi serious, offbeat, suspenseful, dark comedy, psychological, light, entertaining, satirical, social
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Through My Own Eyes (2013)
Plot Summary:
Raje Bauji is a man in his late fifties, living out a dreary but eventful life in a small house in old Delhi where he lives with his extended family. A random incident is going to change his life in a dramatic way- though he does not realize it yet.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, humorous, semi serious, experimental, cult classic, funny, inspirational, offbeat, entertaining
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Badhaai Ho (2018)
Plot Summary:
A 25-year-old man tries to suppress his embarrassment when his mother announces that she is pregnant.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: funny, light, humorous, captivating, entertaining, realistic, fast
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2 States (2014)
Plot Summary:
This is a story about a romantic journey of a culturally opposite couple - Krish Malhotra and Ananya Swaminathan. They meet at the IIM-Ahmedabad College and during the program they fall in love. Complications arise after the program comes to an end and they decide to get married. Krish and Ananya belong to two different states of India. Krish, a North Indian Punjabi boy from Delhi, and Ananya, a Tamilian Brahmin from Chennai. They take a conscious decision; they won't get married until their parents agree. Everything goes downhill when the parents meet. There is a cultural clash and the parents oppose the wedding. To convert their love story into a love marriage, the couple faces a tough battle in front of them. For it is easy to fight and rebel, but much harder to convince. Will Krish and Ananya's love for each other sustain the battles? Will they manage to convince their parents and make it to their wedding? The film thus is a humorous take on inter community marriages in India.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 149 min
Plot tags: sentimental, humorous, semi serious, realistic, fast, romantic comedy
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East Is East (1999)
Plot Summary:
In 1971 Salford fish-and-chip shop owner George Khan expects his family to follow his strict Pakistani Muslim ways. But his children, with an English mother and having been born and brought up in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and start to reject their father's rules on dress, food, religion, and living in general.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: hilarious, humorous, witty, realistic, sentimental, touching, feel good, semi serious, independent film, funny
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The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
Plot Summary:
A story centered around an Indian family who moves to France and opens a restaurant across the street from a Michelin-starred French restaurant.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 87000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: India, United Arab Emirates, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: feel good, inspirational, sentimental, touching, sweet, culinary, humorous, serious, realistic, semi serious