This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

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.

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 tooChandrachur 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

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.

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 makingExcellent, more please