Movies:
Asoka
DVD Release
- Release Date: 2002
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- "The Making of Asoka" featurette
- Theatrical trailer
- Scene selections
- Dolby stereo or Surround sound option
- Cast filmographies
- Rating:
- Genre: Epic
- Movie Type: Historical Epic
- Themes: Rise To Power, Crowned Heads, Great Battles
- Director: Santosh Sivan
- Main Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Danny Denzongpa, Ajith, Rahul Dev
- Release Year: 2001
- Country: IN
- Run Time: 158 minutes
Plot
Cinematographer turned director Santosh Sivan follows up on his acclaimed 1999 opus Malli with this sweeping historical epic. Asoka, the emperor of the Mauryan dynasty between 274 and 232 B.C., was famed for having unified much of modern-day India and for raising Buddhism from obscurity to the ranks of a world religion. Early in his life, as Emperor of the region of Magadha, he waged a brutal campaign against the neighboring fiefdom of Challenge, leaving the land bloody and ravaged. The war paid a toll on the young king; having realized the full horror that he wrought, Asoka renounced violence and turned to the spiritual sanctuary of Buddhism. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie GuideReview
In contrast to The Terrorist -- the film Santosh Sivan is best known for outside of India -- Asoka is pure Bollywood exuberance on a grand scale, full of flashy costumes, sword fights, and energetic, nonsensical musical numbers. In order to stuff his film with the requisite action and splendor, director Sivan takes quite a few liberties with the facts of Asoka's life (which became the source of some controversy in India). He even leaves the most important detail -- Asoka's conversion to Buddhism -- to a scrolling text at the very end. Instead, the film focuses on the years of exile and bloodshed that led to Asoka's eventual conversion. Exiled after his father abdicates his throne and converts to Jainism, Asoka (played by Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan) meets and marries Princess Kaurwaki (Kareena Kapoor), though neither of them knows the other's true identity. After being called back to his kingdom upon his father's death, Asoka ascends to the throne and embarks on a reign of cruelty that begins with the slaughter of his treacherous brothers and ends with a final battle complete with elephants, cavalry, and legions of soldiers. Like Lagaan, Asoka is a lavish, epic-adventure designed to broaden Bollywood's audience outside of India. It makes for great fun for those able to ignore its blatant disregard for historical accuracy. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie GuideCast
- Shah Rukh Khan - Asoka
- Kareena Kapoor - Princess Kaurwaki
- Danny Denzongpa - Virat
- Ajith - Susima
- Rahul Dev - Bheema
Hrishitaa Bhatt - Devi; Umesh Mehra; Gerson Da Cuhna; Subhashini; Suraj Balaje; Johnny Lever; Raghubir Yadav; Suresh Menon
