Maachis

According to IMDB, this is Gulzars most personal film till date and so it seems. Gulzar, a man known more popularly for his lyrics, understands and portrays human emotion like noone else, the plot and the dialogues of Maachis seem to highlight this fact. Maachis is the story of the aftermath of the 1984 anti Sikh riots, following the assasination of Indira Gandhi after operation blue star, where young Sikh men and women were taken away by desperate police officials for questioning about the various extremist groups operational in Punjab at the time. One of the important notions displayed, is the irony, in which terrorists are born out of supression of the authorities that exist for protecting them.

Superb acing performances by actors like Chandrachur Singh, Tabu and Om Puri do justice to the brilliant plot which narrates the becoming of a few young men, unhappy with the system, into extremists. Unlike Rang De Basanti, this film actually makes a lot of sense and is much more mature than a group of angry collegians shooting out. Tabu and Om Puri got national awards for this film. Maachis is a typical example of film-noire.

The songs are simply beautiful. Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale and Chod Aye Hum Wo Galiyan are to this day one of the most popular songs, not just in Punjab, but the rest of the country too. Gulzar known for portraying complex emotions into 5 minute songs, has done a great job in making a standard length Hindi film. The film is not the best or the most accurate political description of the 1984 riots aftermath but it doesnt aim to do so. It aims to show the case of families that suffered then and that it accomplishes very well. Its perhaps one of the most simple and yet popular films of the Indian film industry. Should’nt miss an opportunity to watch it, in a group if possible, its one of those films that rise to become universal, its complete effect takes over you, if you’re in a group.