Maachis (1996) User Reviews

A realistic portrayal of a situation where there are no heroes

[dhotb · 9/10 · 17 July 2000]

I liked this film because apart from the songs (which were excellent) everything was so realistic, almost understated. The film dealt with a very emotional subject in a practical and logical way and brought to screen the misery caused to everyone concerned in this tragic conflict. All the major points were well handled, including references to false "encounters", the guilt of some Hindu friends of the Sikhs, the routine brutality of the police. There was also some balance in the film - not all police were the baddies, some were ordinary family men doing their jobs. Everyone had their frailties, even the hero wasn't a true film Hero, just a man caught up in a conflict not of his making

Excellent, more please

This is REAL!

[inani · 8/10 · 9 July 2001]

... noone gains anything out of terrorism! And no better movie to portray this stark reality than Maachis! It truly depicts the circumstances that have forced many-an-innocent and ordinary men and women into terrorism in Punjab and Kashmir only to be slain by the police and/or by their own counterparts. The mixed feelings of a person on the borderline of becoming a terrorist are brought out beautifully. Except the part about how Kirpal Singh is finally caught, a very well made movie!

Brave film. Much ahead of its time.

[ragingbull_2005 · 7/10 · 5 June 2020]

Set post 1984, when the "tree had fallen and the earth had shook", resulting in the lynchings of thousands of innocent Sikhs and the subsequent thirst for revenge against the complicit policemen, this is realistic, raw and brilliantly acted.

The dialogues are hard hitting. I remember that I could not watch this 24 years ago, as it had been rated A, fit only for adults because of some lines that compare and criticise Gandhian means of getting independence with the more revolutionary means.

The acting is stunning, with Tabu and Om Puri being the standout performers. The songs have become classic over the last quarter of a century. There is only one criticism. The other side , the police / law makers' side is never shown.

Highly recommended. It is a very brave film. Meant for lovers of world class Indian cinema. _Streaming on Amazon Prime_

CLASSIC

[milind · 10/10 · 29 June 1999]

This movie is gulzar's most personal film till date. It depicts the terrorism in punjab after Mrs.Indira Gandhi's assassination. Chandrachur singh gives a fantastic performance as a young man who is forced to join a terrorist group run by kulbushan kharbanda and om puri. Its hard to believe that this was the first film of chandrachur singh. Tabu gives a performance which changed her career. She got a national award for this film. Om puri, raj zutshi, jimmy shergill and kulbushan kharbanda give superb performances in the supporting cast. The screenplay/story/dialogues are written by gulzar. As with most gulzar's films , maachis too has story told in form of flashbacks. The script is very engrossing and does not let the viewer move till the end. This movie was banned in some places in punjab & kashmir. It was also send for a re-censor. A cinema hall strike in january 1997 and good publicity of songs meant that this became india's second biggest word-of-mouth hit. This record was only recently beaten by "Satya". The first one being "Sholay". Gulzar won filmfare award for Best story and Best dialogues. Gulzar also won a national award for the most popular film of the year. This is a must see movie. Like most of gulzar's film this is a CLASSIC.

Gripping Story; Pleasant Music

[narayan_l_k · 10/10 · 19 September 2005]

This film should be re-released in the light of the Nanavati commission findings (2005). Though I do not justify the action of the characters in this film, directed by one of the well-known lyrist and director Gulzar, this reflects the magnitude of corruption in bringing the perpetrators of the 1984 riots to justice.

Above all, this film is one of Vishal Bharadwaj's earliest hits as a music director (yes, the same man who has made "Makdee", "Maqbool" as a film director) His music score blends very well with the story, screenplay... especially the natural scenic shots of the mountains of Kashmir and Punjab.

All the songs are hummable; one can easily understand the implications of the lyrics and the tenor of the musical beats.

The Sweet Kiss of Death

[Chrysanthepop · 26 October 2010]

Gulzar's 'Maachis' depicts the tension and terror in Punjab post the 1984 riots. During this period tension exacerbated as terrorist actions took place and alleged suspects were tortured and murdered during fake encounters. 'Maachis' follows Kripal and Veera as circumstances force them to walk the path of crime. Poet that he is, Gulzar's storytelling is lyrical and this effectively highlights the harsh irony and tragedy of the situations. Not for one moment does the story feel unreal.

The sets and costumes look authentic. The landscape is brilliantly captured. The cinematography is superb. Manmohan Singh makes efficient use of the camera as he alters between various techniques such as long shots, static and hand-held. Vishal Bharadwaj's score (that includes Gulzar's own lyrics) beautifully contributes to the film.

The performances are topnotch. Om Puri, Raj Zutshi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Suneel Sinha and Jimmy Shergill are excellent. Chandrachur Singh is very good. But, it is Tabu who steals the show with a transcendent heartbreaking performance. Even in the simpler moments, like a particular scene during the song 'Paani', within seconds her face subtly changes from smile to tears and it looks so natural.

1996 saw at least four other such cinematic treasures in the form of Shyam Benegal's 'The Making of the Mahatma', 'Sardari Begum', Mahesh Bhatt's 'Tamanna' and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Khamoshi: The Musical'. During a time when Bollywood was churning out trash, few directors like Gulzar, would give us some gems. I wish he would make a comeback like Shyam Benegal.

Brilliance

[silvan-desouza · 9/10 · 6 July 2012]

Gulzar one of our brilliant directors who gave us several great films in the past and recent too, MAACHIS is one of them. Maachis introduced Chandrachur Singh, Jimmy Shergill(name was Jasjit Shergill then) and many new faces like Ravi Gossain In 1990's several terrorist based films made foray in India like the dubbed ones Roja(1992), Bombay(1995) Maachis is based on the aftermath of Sikh Riots and how common man become terrorists. The film starts off with a suicide and then moves in flashback, after the scene we are suddenly cut to Chod Aaye Hum a brilliant song and then cut to the past when Chandrachur lived with Tabu and Raj Jhutsi and then slowly the events keep you hooked. The manner in which the terrorists make plans are shown very well, while the pains, trauma is all well handled The climax too is moving. Mostly Gulzar keeps cinematic liberties to minimum, if you can excuse some of them(very few) Gulzar does a brilliant job as a director Music by Vishal Bharadwaj is superb, Chod Aaye hum which has KK singing his first song with a bunch of singers like Sukwinder. Chappa Chappa is wonderful Lata's songs Pani Re and others are good too

Chandrachur Singh makes a terrific debut, the actor was known as a great actor who didn't really suit in song n dance films, in this film he does a brilliant job and won the award for debutante. Tabu does a great job in her perhaps one of the first offbeat roles, she proves that she can carry a hardhitting role too. Both were teamed again in the bakwaas Aamdhaani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiya(2001) Raj Jhutsi is superb, Ravi Gossain is terrific too Om Puri is flawless in his role, Khulbushan Kharbandra leaves a great impact in a brief role, Suneel Sinha as Vajera is superb Jimmy Shergill is decent in his debut though he doesn't get much meaty scenes Kanwaljeet Singh is terrific, S M Jaheer as Khurana is great too

Masterpiece and authentic...

[Manish1989 · 8/10 · 21 August 2020]

Movie was amazingly realistic and emotional, director(GULZAAR SHAAB) captured the emotion of every character very beautifully you can just feel the past journey of any character by there emotions, music was masterpiece every single song and timing and lyrics was meaning something to the movie as an indian we need to appreciate such movies on bigger scale so this kind of cinema can get needed applause from worldwide audience seriously still i can feel all those emotions, casting was surprisingly good every character was playing there part elegantly specially OM PURI sir and rest of the cast did just more then what was required so if somehow you missed this movie then you are lucky that there is movie you can watch and get amazed by creativity and good film making .

Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale...!

[Amyth47 · 8/10 · 6 May 2020]

My Rating : 8/10

An extraordinary film from Gulzar - The actors, the storyline, the songs - A Classic for the ages!

'Maachis' has a lot going for it - Magical use of flashbacks, breathtaking cinematography, dialogues, superb performances from the entire cast and lots more - a true blend of art and commercial cinema.

Highest recommendation.

Real India

[shoi · 24 March 1999]

Made on the pathetic political situation in Punjab state of India, this is an excellent movie to watch. Though hampered by Sensor boards narrowmindedness, it is an almost cruel depiction of the reality of Punjab.

Maachis in 2013

[sundeepv80 · 8/10 · 1 May 2013]

I watched this movie first time in my life in the year 2013. I have always loved the songs of Maachis as a kid but never got a chance to see the movie. However, better late than never and this saying couldn't have been more true than in this case. Maachis is one of my favorite movies on terrorism even including many Hollywood and western movies that I have watched. I always asked myself that why in all these other movies that I have watched they never talk about what makes a terrorist, there is no insight given into the turning of a man's character from a human to a man full of rage who wants to kill other people. Even the recent Hollywood blockbusters like Zero Dark Thirty, Hurt Locker etc are more action movies of FBI agents than anything else. Maachis answers that question so beautifully and passionately. The story doesn't justify the act of terrorism, it doesn't make evil out of the other men, it just brings to surface how a system of injustice brings everyone into it and destroys innocence of people and their lives. There are some plots in the story which makes you feel a lump in your throat, some scenes makes the hair raise on your hand and some just makes you love the poetry of Gulzar, the director, lyricist and writer of the story. The final scene leaves you in confrontation with a hard truth. One of the best movies ever made on terrorism and humanity. I give it 8/10.

Real situations & Real occurrences

[amritpalsingh-15564 · 8/10 · 25 June 2022]

I saw this movie when I was 7 with my parents & I m writing a review after 25 years as I watched it again.

One of the great movies of 90"s. Characters and situations are very close what actually happened in Punjab after 1984.

Most realistic Bollywood film till date

[jahangirhussain74 · 15 September 2014]

Maachis (matches) is one of the most realistic Hindi film I have seen and I must say the film is engrossing from the very first frame. Gulzar saab is one of the greatest filmmakers of his time and his artistic ability are not to be doubted here as well. The way he has handled most of the scenes in this film is really mind blowing. Maachis is one of the few films where the narrative is of secondary importance while the performances of the actors are the primary focus. I never liked Tabu until I saw Maachis and I was assured that this girl is not just merely an eye candy in films, she was really irritating in Sajaan Chale Sasural. Chandrachur Singh has given his career best performance as Kripal Singh before sinking into oblivion. Jimmy Shergill was good. Om Puri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda are excellent. Raj Zutsi was also good. Some scenes like the brutality of the policemen who use the anti- Sikh insurgency only as an excuse to beat innocent people up really shock you. The climax is explosive and leaves you to ponder on the aftermath of the 1984 anti-Sikh insurgency. A brilliant movie with wonderful performances and a strong story. A must watch!

Great Movie

[bchauhan · 1 September 1999]

I was born in India, but have been in the United States for the last 15 years or so, I am 26 years old. This movie is excellent in helping you understand the political situations that exist in India. Even as a young kid, I remember situations like this and this movie does a great job depicting them. I just wish the Indian boards would view this as an artistic point of view and stop the censorship. Although, sometimes they cannot be blamed, because the people tend to follow the indian cinema more than common sense.

A true reflection?

[Tel-11 · 29 November 1999]

Maachis depicts the true situation of the Punjab in India today. The story explains how common people are turned into terrorists by the corrupt policing system. The story revolves around one man's revenge against an unofficial police state due to his friend being arrested and beaten to the brink of death. He leaves his home and finds by chance (the only coincidence in the film) people who have had similar experiences to him. There are only three songs in the film which makes the film extremely watchable to non-indian viewers, as generally this figure could easily be doubled in a bollywood movie. Overall a very well made and truthful movie.