Indian films based on plays

Mughal-e-Azam () is a 1960 Indian epic historical drama film produced and directed by K. Asif. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love affair between Mughal Prince Salim (who went on to become Emperor Jahangir) and Anarkali, a court dancer. Salim's father, Emperor Akbar, disapproves of the relationship, which leads to a war between father and son.

1931 film by Ardeshir Irani

2005 film by Roohullah

1999 film by Sanjay Leela Bhansali

2006 film by Vishal Bhardwaj

2014 film by Vishal Bhardwaj

Saajan () is a 1991 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Lawrence D'Souza and produced by Sudhakar Bokade. The film is a remake of Bengali film Apan Amar Apan. Loosely based on the classic French play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897), it stars Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, and Salman Khan in lead roles, with Kader Khan, Reema Lagoo and Laxmikant Berde in supporting roles. Nadeem–Shravan composed the film's music whereas Sameer wrote the lyrics of the songs.

1994 film

Humraaz (transl. Confidant) is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller film directed by the duo Abbas–Mustan. The film stars Bobby Deol, Akshaye Khanna, and Ameesha Patel⁣⁣ and marks the third collaboration between Deol and the director duo.

2005 film by Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Ganashatru ( Gônoshotru Enemy of the People/ Public Enemy) is a 1990 Indian film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1882 play An Enemy of the People, and was released under that title in the UK. The cast includes Ray's favourite actor Soumitra Chatterjee, and veteran actors such as Dhritiman Chatterjee, Shubhendu Chatterjee, Manoj Mitra and Ruma Guhathakurta. Ray adapts the play to an Indian setting: a flourishing township in which a temple attracts devotees as well as tourists. When a health problem is discovered, Dr Ashok Gupta, played by Soumitra Chatterjee, fin

Maqbool is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Piyush Mishra, Murali Sharma, and Masumeh Makhija in an adaptation of the play Macbeth by Shakespeare.

Mashaal () is a 1984 Indian Hindi-language action film. Produced and directed by Yash Chopra, it starred Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Anil Kapoor and Rati Agnihotri. The role played by Anil Kapoor was first offered to Amitabh Bachchan and then to Kamal Haasan, but after they declined the offer, the role went to Anil Kapoor. The project marked Anil's primary on-screen collaboration with Dilip Kumar. Vinod Kumar (Dilip Kumar) plays a respected, law-abiding citizen who turns to crime for exacting revenge. The film was based on the Marathi play Ashroonchi Zhali Phule written by Marathi writer Vasa

1970 Hindi film directed by Rajinder Singh Bedi

2002 film by Vipul Amrutlal Shah

2006 Bollywood comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty

2018 film directed by Pradeep Sarkar

2012 film directed by Umesh Shukla

2005 film by David Dhawan

1969 film by Yash Chopra

1998 film by David Dhawan

2009 film by Rohit Shetty

2022 film directed by Rohit Shetty

Utsav (Hindi: उत्सव; English: Festival) is a 1984 Hindi erotic drama film, produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad. The film is based on play Mrichakatika (The Little Clay Cart) by Śūdraka. It was filmed in Hindi and English simultaneously, the post-production work of latter version was done in London.

2010 film by Vipul Amrutlal Shah

1952 Tamil film directed by Krishnan-Panju

2017 film by Umesh Shukla

1984 Hindi film directed by Govind Nihalani

1982 film directed by Gulzar

2007 film by Rituparno Ghosh

Nagamandala (; ) is a 1997 Indian Kannada-language drama film, directed by T. S. Nagabharana and written by Girish Karnad. Produced by Srihari L. Khoday with music by C. Aswath, It is an adaptation of a 1988 play by Karnad with the same name which is based on a local folk tale and ritual. It stars Prakash Raj and Vijayalakshmi in the lead roles. The film depicts a romantic plot between a woman and a snake in the disguise of her uncaring husband.

2019 film directed by Seema Bhargav

1912 film by Dadasaheb Torne

Yahudi () is a 1958 Hindi-language epic romantic historical drama film directed by Bimal Roy. It stars Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Sohrab Modi, Nazir Hussain, Nigar Sultana among others. It is based on the play Yahudi Ki Ladki by Agha Hashar Kashmiri, a classic in Parsi-Urdu theatre, about persecution of Jews in the Roman Empire in the empire's centre — Rome. The film was a big hit despite its alien theme, and was the third-highest grossing Indian film of 1958, owing to the box office draw of Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari.

Aitbaar () is a 1985 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Mukul Anand. It stars Raj Babbar, Dimple Kapadia, Suresh Oberoi, Danny Denzongpa, Sharat Saxena in pivotal roles. It was a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 thriller Dial M For Murder. It was further remade in Tamil in 1985 as Saavi and in Malayalam in 1989 as New Year.

1962 film by Phani Majumdar

2002 film

2017 Indian film

1984 film by Ketan Mehta

1950 film by Chetan Anand

1950 Tamil film directed by Ellis R. Dungan

1998 Hindi film

1992 film

1978 Tamil film directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar

1947 Tamil film directed by T. R. Sundaram

Perazhagan ( ) is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Sasi Shanker and produced by AVM Productions. It is a remake of the director's 2002 Malayalam film Kunjikoonan which itself was adapted from the play Vikalanga Varsham by Benny P. Nayarambalam. The film stars Suriya and Jyothika, each in dual roles, while Vivek, Manorama, Bobby, Thalaivasal Vijay, and Devan play supporting roles. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja with cinematography by R. Rathnavelu and editing by Anthony. The film released on 7 May 2004. For his performance, Suriya won the Filmfare Award f

Shaakuntalam is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language mythological romantic drama film written and directed by Gunasekhar. It is produced by Neelima Guna under Gunaa Teamworks and distributed by Sri Venkateswara Creations. Based on a popular play Abhignyana Shakuntalam by Kalidasa, the film features Samantha in the title role of Shakuntala and Dev Mohan as Dushyanta, the king of Puru dynasty along with Mohan Babu, Jisshu Sengupta, Madhoo, Gautami, Aditi Balan and Ananya Nagalla in supporting roles. In the film, Shakuntala and King Dushyanta marry, but Dushyanta forgets all about Shakuntala due to a sa

1946 film by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas

1969 film by Satyen Bose

Shaurya ( Valour) is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language legal drama film directed by Samar Khan and produced by Moser Baer. The film stars Kay Kay Menon, Rahul Bose, Javed Jaffrey, Deepak Dobriyal, and Minissha Lamba. The film is based on the 1991 Hindi play Court Martial by Swadesh Deepak and the 1992 American film A Few Good Men (the latter being an adaptation of the 1989 play of the same name by Aaron Sorkin about US marine David Cox).

Intaqam () is a 1969 Bollywood thriller film directed by R. K. Nayyar. It starred Sanjay Khan and Sadhana in the lead, supported by Ashok Kumar, Rehman, Jeevan, Rajendra Nath, Helen and Anju Mahendru.

1985 film by Jag Mundhra

1983 film by Sai Paranjpye

1954 Tamil film directed by L. V. Prasad

1956 Telugu film directed by B. S. Ranga

2015 film

1959 Tamil film directed by B. R. Panthulu

Thulabharam () is a 1968 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by A. Vincent. It is based on the Kerala People's Arts Club play of the same name, written by Thoppil Bhasi. Thoppil Bhasi also adapted the play for the screen. The film had an ensemble cast including Prem Nazir, Sharada, Madhu, Sheela, Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair and Adoor Bhasi. The film won two National Awards. The film was a major blockbuster and following the Malayalam version, the film was made in Tamil (Thulabharam), Telugu (Manushulu Marali) and Hindi (Samaj Ko Badal Dalo), with Sharada playing lead roles in all versions.

Muharasi ( ) is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by M. A. Thirumugam. Based on G. Balasubramaniam's play Moondrezhuthil En Moochirukkum, itself inspired by the 1964 film The Pitiless Three, the film stars M. G. Ramachandran and Gemini Ganesan in their only film together. The film, produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar under his Thevar Films banner, was released on 18 February 1966 and ran for 100 days.

1965 film by Phani Majumdar