10 Films & TV Shows Set In India During Ancient History
-
Gautamiputra Satakarni
🇮🇳 India The 2nd Century BCThe emperor of Satavahana kingdom, Satakarni comes across many challenges when he attempts to convince his wife that their son is bound to take part in battles and vanquish his enemies.
-
Sri Siddhartha Gautama
🇮🇳 India The 5th Century BCSri Siddhartha Gautama is a Sinhala movie released on 24 January, 2013. The movie is directed by Saman Weeraman and featured Anchal Singh and Gagan Malik as lead characters.
-
The Life Of Buddha
🇮🇳 India The 5th Century BCOver 2,500 years ago, one man showed the world a way to enlightenment. This beautifully produced Buddhist film by the BBC meticulously reveals the fascinating story of Prince Siddhartha and the spiritual transformation that turned him into the Buddha.
-
Alexander
🇬🇷 Greece 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇮🇳 India 🇵🇰 Pakistan 🇮🇶 Iraq 🇮🇷 Iran 🇪🇬 Egypt 🇦🇫 Afghanistan The 3rd Century BC The 4th Century BCThe greatest legend of all was real — Alexander, the King of Macedonia, leads his legions against the giant Persian Empire. After defeating the Persians, he leads his army across the then known world, venturing farther than any westerner had ever gone, all the way to India.
-
Little Buddha
Washington 🇮🇳 India 🇧🇹 Bhutan The 5th Century BCA magical journey to a place where the past and present meet — After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children — one American and two Nepalese — who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.
-
Sandstorm
🇮🇳 India The 1st Century BCThe film, which won the 1988 National Film Award for Best First Film of a Director for its "excellent exploration of complex philosophical theme for the first time in Indian cinema," is set in the Buddhist town of Sariput in the desert of Central Asia in the 1st century B.C. The town is struck by a devastating sand storm that leaves behind only four survivors: two monks and two children taking refuge in the monastery. Twenty years later, the monks have become old, while the boy and the girl have grown and fallen in love. The jealous monk deceitfully persuades the boy into becoming a monk, yet the girl wins him back, as a result both are expelled from the monastery, and that is when the sandstorm strikes once again..
-
Siddhartha
🇮🇳 India The 5th Century BCSiddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin and his search for a meaningful way of life. His journey takes him through periods of harsh asceticism, sensual pleasures, material wealth, self-revulsion and eventually to the oneness and harmony that he had been seeking. The story is based on the best-selling novel by German Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse.
-
Gotoma the Buddha
🇮🇳 India The 5th Century BCThis Indian documentary had its world premiere in Paris. Told simply and straightforwardly, the film traces the life of Buddha, from humble priest to religious icon. The central character's search for wisdom and inner peace may not seem like ideal visual fare, but director Rajbana Khanna makes it so. Emphasis is placed upon Buddha's relationship with the land, conveyed by lyrical shots of India's vast and varied terrain. Prior to its official release, Gotoma the Buddha was feted with a "special mention" at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival; few viewers will hold it in lesser esteem.
-
The Light of Asia
🇮🇳 India The 5th Century BCLiving an indolent life in a luxurious palace, Prince Gautama (Rai) is insulated by his family from the harshness of the world outside. But he is destined to learn greater truths: shocked to discover the pain and suffering of so many in his kingdom, he abandons his privileged existence, and his wife Gopa (Seeta Devi), to become a wandering teacher, eventually finding enlightenment and founding Buddhism. Featuring superimposed images and deep-focus shots that were highly impressive for the time, Light of Asia astutely combines a deeply felt spirituality with the surefire attraction of Indian exotica, which helped make it a considerable success in Europe.
