Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Gabor Por I rented this movie because the text on the cover appealed to me. It was speaking about the transformation of a King who lived in the 3rd century India and turned from a warrior to a Buddhist and then helped to spread the message. I also suspected from the cover that it is a grand epic, based on a true story I didn't hear about so far. I got the epic part right, there were plenty of action, battle scenes. But I was disappointed because the Buddhist years of Asoka's kingdom were not pictured at all. Instead the whole movie was focusing on the love story thread.(Side track: My house mate walked in while I was watching the movie and said he was "in love" when he saw the actress playing the king's love interest, Kareena Kapoor, granddaughter of legendary Raj Kapoor.) I was hoping to see how Asoka transforms from the mightiest and bloodiest war hero to the calm Buddhist, but saw none of it. Thus it was not entirely believable for me, that just because he lost his true love and found her after the battle that would be enough to turn him into a meek person. And why did they have to put in the obligatory music-video-clip type of songs, all 5 of them. They were fun, but didn't add anything to the movie. To close on a plosive note I would like to acknowledge that it was shot beautifully and the cutting was modern. Mostof it was a treat for my eyes. A tad bit too long though with its 170 minutes.

IsisBollywood RHK Asoka (Without Sorrow), 2001, 171min, Dreamz Unlimited If you like Sparta 300 and Gladiator, you will love this movie. Writer-director Santosh Sivan set out to make this loosely historical epic young Emperor Asoka, one of the India's greatest emperors of the Maurya Dynasty from 273 BCE to 232 BCE.Though the story is largely fictional, Sivan uses actual historical figures and tells the story in the context of the events of the day. From its opening moments detailing Asoka's trust for the sword to the sumptuous splendor of the battlefield defining the skill of Asoka's swordsmanship, the visuals of the film Asoka are simply breathtaking. Blending an eye for detail in production design, Sivan brings the long-dead civilization back to life like no other Hindi film has done before. First and foremost, a big round of applause to not only Sivan for orchestrating this enjoyable historical jaunt and evocative cinematography, but also Manish Malhotra for the gorgeous costume design and John Kundan Pai for the beautiful production designs. Stunning ancient architecture, strategic use of curtains and lighting, and absolutely stunning garb work with the unique camera angles to bring the ancient era to light. Scholarly issues aside, this is the kind of film that defines the term 'masterpiece'– filled with spectacle and action, and telling a story of epic scope and humanity. Asoka is an enthralling and totally immersing production that will probably be viewed as a Hindi classic paving the way to films like Jodha Akbar.Asoka and Kaurwaki (unbeknown to her that he is indeed her love Pawan), gather their forces for the final show down confrontation known to history as the Battle of Kalinga, whose outcome decided the fate of civilization and destiny of Asoka. A man who began his life as an emperor but ended as a monk achieving what he dreamt of which is to become the greatest emperor in history, that is emperor of hearts. The reticence pays off near the end when screenwriter provides the characters with a provocative and literate debate about the nature of war.Though many will remember the film for its violent and edge-of-your-seat battles, there is a lot of humanity found within this film, which builds up nicely to the film's emotionally satisfying climax. Sivan chooses to devote a fair amount of time focusing on Asoka's worrier Princess Kaurwaki, played beautifully by Kareena Kapoor. Her character is as violent, sensual, and full of intrigue her counterpart Prince Asoka. This complex love relationship between two people from rival kingdoms is expanded upon from its historical reference to portray Kaurwaki as a strong willed and passionate woman. There are few of passionate (I say not enough) moments between Asoka and Princess Kaurwaki highlighted by the music sequences tossed in to balance out the brutal and savage war scenes (not to mention a smoking-hot wet scenes of Shahrukh and Kareena) making the film worthwhile to watch.What raises Asoka above the usual epic drama is not only the strength of its story but power of its performances. More on Isisbollywood RHK

Umar Mansoor Bajwa Ashoka was a great emperor of India and his contribution towards the uplift of Indian people (Hindus and Bhuddists) is an indelible trait of his towering personality but unfortunately it has not been properly projected in this historical movie.Instead, the young Ashok (icon of the Mauraya Hindu Kingdom) is depicted like a replica of the medieval uncivilized conqueror Chengez Khan. Why has the conversion of Ashok to Bhuddism, his contribution towards the alleviation of the Indian people by undertaking various welfare and development works has not been highlighted in the film ? He is mostly remembered as a people's King of ancient India like Cyrus was for the Persian people. The director's money minting mentality can be amply read as he has endeavored to reveal the early gory and cruel picture/character of the future just and altruistic ruler of ancient India. Why has the author and director overshadowed Ashoka's pious, pitiful, resilient and people friendly trait that was the hallmark of his personality after the bloody battle of Kalinga which was fought during his youth ?There is definitely much more than meets the eye after viewing this picture. A second part of this movie should be made which should elaborate the great achievements of Ashoka in the field of early spread of Bhuddism and his public welfare campaigns and works.

rahulthewall3000 Was this a movie? I have seen a lot if Indian movies (natural being an Indian) but I have rarely come across something as bad as this. Truly speaking, Shahrukh Khan simply didn't have the funds to make this sort of a movie. Asoka, the greatest among the Indian kings is reduced to a dacoit, never he does come across as the Empreror whose kingdom spanned across India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmur. The acting was average to say the least. Don't get me wrong, Shahrukh Khan is a great actor and he may be the king of bollywood but he can not potray some one like Asoka on the screen. His best roles have been in movies like Dil to Pagal hai, Dilwale..... and he should stick to that! This was a mockery!