Asoka (film)

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Asoka
Directed by Santosh Sivan
Produced by Shahrukh Khan,
Juhi Chawla
Written by Santosh Sivan
Starring Shahrukh Khan,
Kareena Kapoor,
Ajith Kumar
Music by Anu Malik
Distributed by Sony Music
Release date(s) October 26, 2001
Running time 155 mins
Language Hindi
IMDb profile

Asoka is a 2001 Bollywood film, a historical drama. It is a largely fictional version of the life of an Indian king who ruled much of South Asia from 273 BCE to 232 BCE. The film was directed by Santosh Sivan and stars Shah Rukh Khan as Ashoka and Kareena Kapoor as Kaurwaki, a princess of Kalinga. Tamil star Ajith made a special appearance as Susima, brother of Asoka. The screenplay was written by Santosh Sivan and Saket Chaudhary and the dialogue by Abbas Tyrewala. It was originally released as Ashoka The Great in India. The Tamil release title is Samrat Ashoka.


Contents

[edit] Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film embroiders on several episodes in the life of the historical Ashoka, an early Indian ruler. In the film, prince Asoka falls in love with the beautiful princess Kaurwaki. When he believes her dead, he falls into despair and becomes a vicious, brutal conqueror. However, he has married a lovely Buddhist healer, and she plants the seed of his eventual conversion to Buddhism and righteous rule - however, her role in his conversion to Buddhism is not given the same prominence as the memory of Kaurwaki.

In many ways this is a typical Bollywood tale, featuring song and dance numbers and comedic cameos. However, it is notable for its tragic conclusion rather than the expected happy ending. The movie was criticized for its derogatory portrayal of the emperor and the emphasis on Kaurwaki's role in bringing him to Buddhism (historically, Asoka's Buddhist queen, Devi, had a greater impact on him - Kaurwaki was in fact a fisherwoman). Although the movie was commercially successful, it did not fare well with critics.


[edit] Awards

The film received a further four Filmfare nominations, including Best Film and Best Actress for Kareena Kapoor.

[edit] Trivia

  • The elaborate final battle scene employed over six thousand extras.
  • Some of the actors portraying warriors in the movie were masters of Kalari, who used their expertise. They were the only ones to use real weapons in the filming.
  • Shah Rukh Khan originally requested that Aishwarya Rai be cast opposite him but Sivan picked Kareena Kapoor because she had not previously been paired with Khan.

[edit] External links

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