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Gulzar's directorial venture, Maachis (Hindi for match sticks), is set against
the backdrop of the Bluestar Operation and the assassination of the then Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi, but interwoven with the plot of the spine chilling drama
is a tender love story that hopes to reach its culmination. The tale takes off
with the detention of Chandrachur's close friend by the police on the suspicion
of being linked with the attack on a politician in Delhi. The third degree
treatment meted out to his bosom pal makes Chandrachur bitter as well as angry.
He meets Om Puri, sent from across the border and part of a gang of militants,
and their boss Kulbhushan. He also comes across some more youths who, like him,
had undergone deep trauma over the incidents in Punjab and the riots in Delhi
which left hundreds of innocents killed and many Sikh families devoid of their
men. A moving account then takes place that is reminiscent of the events that
took place in Punjab. |