Maachis

Maachis
Poster
Directed byGulzar
Written byGulzar
Produced byR. V. Pandit
StarringChandrachur Singh
Tabu
Om Puri
Jimmy Sheirgill
CinematographyManmohan Singh
Edited byM. Ravi & Sadanand Shetty
Music byVishal Bhardwaj
Distributed byEros Entertainment
Release date
  • 25 October 1996 (1996-10-25)
Running time
168 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget20 million[1]
Box officeest. 63.6 million[1]

Maachis (transl. Matchsticks) is a 1996 Indian period political thriller film written and directed by Gulzar. The film stars Chandrachur Singh, Om Puri, Tabu, and Jimmy Sheirgill in pivotal roles. Set against the backdrop of the Sikh insurgency in Punjab during the 1980s, it delves into the personal and political turmoil faced by individuals caught in the violence, and explores themes of state repression, vengeance, and the radicalization of youth.[2]

Released on October 25, 1996, Maachis received critical acclaim for its direction, story, screenplay, dialogues, music and performances of the cast, with Tabu's performance receiving widespread praise. The film emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹6.19 crore against a production budget of ₹2 crore.

At the 44th National Film Awards, Maachis won 2 awards – Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Actress (Tabu). At the 42nd Filmfare Awards, the film received 10 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Gulzar), Best Actress (Tabu), and Best Supporting Actor (Puri), and won 4 awards, including Best Male Debut (Chandrachur) and R. D. Burman Award (Bhardwaj).

  1. ^ a b "Maachis Budget and Box Office". Box Office India. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Maachis: Still lit, after all these years". Hindustan Times. 12 February 2021.