Overview
A gripping tale of revenge and resistance unfolds in the wake of tragedy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- somber
- harrowing
- politically charged
- serious film night
- political cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics and audiences broadly regard the film as a powerful, emotionally affecting political drama about communal violence, state repression, and terrorism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jassi's torture and the wider anti-Sikh violence motivate Pali's decision to join Commander and Sanatan's extremist movement.
Veeran's family, romance, and household become directly entangled with police investigation and insurgency.
The plot foregrounds arbitrary arrests, third-degree interrogation, wounded civilians, and the social aftermath of state violence.
The story explicitly follows violence against innocent Sikhs and their families after Indira Gandhi's assassination.
Films like Maachis, and why
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi
political violence, state oppression, and morally conflicted insurgency in a grounded South Asian drama
Amu
serious examination of communal conflict, radicalization, and the human cost of political extremism
The Terrorist
intense political thriller centered on terrorism, institutional violence, and divided loyalties
Machuca
emotionally charged crime drama about state power, insurgency, and personal revenge
Movie Details
- Director
- Gulzar
- Release Date
- 1996-10-25
- Runtime
- 160 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (11)
Cast
- Om Puri
- Tabu
- Chandrachur Singh
- Jimmy Shergill
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda
- Kanwaljit Singh
- S M Zaheer
- Raj Zutshi
- Ravi Gossain
- Navnindra Behl
Common questions
- What is Maachis about?
- A Sikh family's ordeal under post-assassination repression turns love, grief, and revenge into a perilous passage toward insurgency.
- What is Maachis like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Maachis as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Maachis violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Maachis as graphic.
- What did critics think of Maachis?
- Critics and audiences broadly regard the film as a powerful, emotionally affecting political drama about communal violence, state repression, and terrorism.
- Which films are like Maachis?
- Films with a similar feel include Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Amu, The Terrorist, and Machuca.
- How long is Maachis?
- Maachis runs 160 minutes.
