Maachis (Matches) is a 1996 Indian Hindi film directed by Gulzar and produced by R. V. Pandit. The film stars Om Puri, Tabu, Chandrachur Singh and Jimmy Shergill in the lead roles. The title of the film is used as a metaphor that conveys that the youth of any nation are matchsticks that could get ignited due to the deficiencies in the political and policing systems. The film portrays the circumstances surrounding the rise of the Sikh insurgency in Punjab in the 1980s and traces the transformation of a youth from a boy next door to a dreaded terrorist bent on wreaking vengeance.