Asoka (film)
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| Asoka | |
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| Directed by | Santosh Sivan |
| Produced by | Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla |
| Written by | Santosh Sivan |
| Starring | Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Ajith Kumar, Milind Soman |
| Music by | Anu Malik |
| Distributed by | First Look Pictures (US) Mongrel media (Canada) Metrodome Distribution (UK) E Stars Films (China) Sony Music (Soundtrack) |
| Release date(s) | October 26, 2001 |
| Running time | 180 min |
| Language | Hindi |
| IMDb profile | |
Asoka (Devanagari: अशोक,Urdu: اشوک) is a 2001 Bollywood film, a historical drama. It is a largely fictional version of the life of the Indian emperor Ashoka, of the Maurya dynasty, who ruled much of South Asia from 273 BCE to 232 BCE. The film was directed by Santosh Sivan and stars Shahrukh 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. The film was produced by Shahrukh Khan's production company Dreamz Unlimited.
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[edit] Production
Shahrukh Khan originally requested that Aishwarya Rai be cast opposite him but Sivan picked Kareena Kapoor because she had not previously been paired with the actor.
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. The song "Raat Ka Nasha" was picturised at Bhedaghat in Madhya Pradesh amidst the Narmada River.
[edit] Synopsis
The film opens with a narration of historical context. Emperor Chandragupta Maurya is giving away all his material possessions and taking Sanyas. His grandson, prince Asoka, claims his grandfather's sword. The Emperor explains that the sword is in fact a demon that, whenever unsheathed, craves blood without regard to friend or foe. He throws away the sword but the young prince reclaims and unsheathes it whereupon it (accidentally) slashes a couple of birds on a tree.
The film takes us a few more years ahead. Prince Asoka (Shahrukh Khan), now a brave youth, is battling the thief of Takshila. His generals inform him that his reinforcements have not arrived. Asoka figures out that his half-brother Susima (Ajith Kumar) has deliberately withheld them. In spite of the odds, Asoka uses shrewd guerilla tactics to defeat the enemy. One observes that Asoka identifies readily with harsh battle conditions and derives pleasure from victory (and death to his enemies).
Prince Asoka returns to Magadha. But his father, King Bindusara, cannot show his pleasure. Susima's mother, the shrewd queen, has woven her webs around the King. She plays a political manoeuvere where the other Queen Dharma is made fearful for her son Asoka. The gentle and somewhat gullible Queen Dharma, content with her son being alive in favor of ascending the throne, compels the prince to renounce his right and leave the kingdom to lead the life of a common man. The brave prince is naturally disappointed, but he accedes to his mother's wishes and leaves.
Asoka meets a lovely maiden Kaurwaki and falls in deep love with her. (Kareena Kapoor). Soldiers from the neighboring kingdom of Kalinga are chasing her and her little brother Arya. They are on the run along with their faithful general Bheema (Rahul Dev). During one of the many ambushes by Kalinga soldiers, Asoka launches into the fray and skillfully defends Kaurwaki. Asoka reveals his name as Pawan (in accordance with his mother's wish). Eventually Asoka marries Kaurwaki. Unbeknownst to him, though, Kaurwaki and Arya are the princess and prince of Kalinga, fleeing from their home when the wicked Prime Minister assassinated their parents.
The Prime Minister is hell bent on ascending the throne. He launches various raids to find and slay the prince. In one such raid, a commoner sacrifices his children to save the prince. The Prime Minister now prepares to ascend the throne. Princess Kaurwaki, Prince Arya and Bheema live in hiding and bide their time.
Asoka receives word that his mother is unwell. He parts from Kaurwaki, promising to return, and hastens to Magadha, only to find that his mother is quite well, and has discovered the conspiracy to remove him from power. The King, though, is still under the charms of Susima's wicked mother. He gruffly dispatches Asoka to quell a rebellion in Ujjain. Asoka obeys, but first returns to find Kaurwaki. Not able to find her, and not knowing she has gone into hiding, he is informed that they were slaughtered and shown the remains of the commoner's children instead.
Mad with grief and anger, he embarks on a violent campaign of Ujjain. He fights with cold-blooded rage, without desire for his own life or the will to win, only to kill his enemy. (He says to his generals before the battle, he seeks only death.) News of his exploits travels to Magadha. Susima, now seething with envious rage, plants his spies in Asoka's army. The spy soldiers wound Asoka in battle and he is taken from the field, even as Ujjain is reconquered and annexed to the Magadha kingdom.
Asoka is taken to a Buddhist monastery to recover. He meets a Buddhist maiden, Devi (Hrishita Bhatt), who cares for him. Even here, Susima's spies attempt to assassinate Asoka several times, even wounding Devi once, but Asoka survives all the attempts and recovers. He marries Devi and returns in splendor to Magadha.
Susima and his brothers are wild with anger and envy and frustrated with their futile attempts to eliminate Asoka. They make their last political move, bribing the court astrologer to murder Devi (pregnant with Asoka's children). The plot fails and Queen Dharma is killed instead. Asoka, now angered beyond measure, kills Susima and all his brothers (except Sugrata, who escapes and seeks asylum in Kalinga). Asoka is now anointed Emperor, but carries the title of Chanda Asoka, Asoka the Brutal. Devi, the gentle Buddhist maiden bent on swaying Asoka to peaceful ways, is shocked at this unbridled brutality. She informs him that she is leaving him. Asoka seems affected somewhat, but it does not prevent him from declaring war on Kalinga.
Princess Kaurwaki and Prince Arya reveal themselves in Kalinga. The Prime Minister is executed. Princess Kaurwaki ascends the throne. She defies Asoka, citing his brutality to his own brothers, and prepares Kalinga for war. She secretly pines for her Pawan, but does not know it is indeed Asoka.
Asoka assembles a mighty army and marches to the battlefield. Consumed with rage (toward Sugrata, but directed now at Kalinga), he nearly kills his old friend Virat (Danny Denzongpa). A terrible war is fought in Kalinga. The Magadha army suffers defeat initially, as Kaurwaki and a battalion of Kalinga women fight side by side with Kalinga soldiers. But the Magadha forces are rallied by a violent and merciless Asoka. The resulting battle turns the tide of the war and the Magadha army inflicts a cruel defeat on Kalinga. Not content with mere victory, Asoka's warriors raze everything and butcher everyone in sight. Sugrata is slain. Kaurwaki is wounded.
In his chambers that evening, Asoka is informed by a white-clad monk that Devi has delivered twins, Mahindra and Sanghamitra. Asoka visits the scene of the Kalinga battlefield, where he suddenly finds his victory is empty. And while his rage is fulfilled (by his vengeance), he is left with more death around him. His enemies and his family, all dead. His grandfather's advice (about the sword) was right. Asoka is enveloped by an historic change of heart, and is reunited with Kaurwaki. However a depressing meeting- for Arya, the Prince of Kalinga, is shot and killed by an arrow and dies in Asoka's arms as Kauwaki cries beside them.
The film ends with Asoka renouncing the sword and embracing Buddhism. The final narrative describes how Asoka not only built a large empire, but spread Buddhism and the winds of peace through it.
[edit] Cast
- Shahrukh Khan as ... Asoka
- Kareena Kapoor as .... Kaurwaki
- Ajith Kumar as ... Susima
- Hrishita Bhatt as ... Devi
- Danny Denzongpa as ... Virat
- Rahul Dev as ... Bheema
- Johnny Lever as ... Magadha soldier
- Raghuveer Yadav as ... Magadha soldier
- Suresh Menon as ... Magadha soldier
- Shweta Menon as ... Nandaneshwari
- Suresh Oberoi as ... Voice-over
[edit] Soundtrack
| Asoka: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
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| Studio album by Anu Malik | ||
| Released | 2001 | |
| Genre | Soundtrack | |
| Length | 38:23 | |
| Label | Sony Music Soundtrax | |
| Producer | Anu Malik | |
The soundtrack features 7 songs composed by Anu Malik, with 6 lyrics by Gulzar with 1 lyric by Anand Bakshi.
[edit] Track listing
- "San Sanana" (5:52)—Alka Yagnik, Hema Sardesai
- "Raat Ka Nasha" (5:10)—Chitra
- "Roshni Se" (6:54)—Abhijeet, Alka Yagnik
- "O Re Kanchi" (5:33)—Alka Yagnik, Shaan
- "Raat Ka Nasha (Duet Version)" (5:10)—Abhijeet, Chitra
- "Aa Tayar Hoja" (6:07)—Sunidhi Chauhan
- "Asoka Theme" (3:57)—Instrumental
[edit] Reaction
- 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[citation needed]- Kaurwaki was in fact a fisherwoman). It was however praised for the performances by the lead actors, the spectacular visuals, cinematography and the battle scenes in the climax. At the box office however the film failed to make an impact.[1]
- It was released in Thailand as Asoke Maharaj (Thai: อโศกมหาราช) (Emperor Asoka the Great)
[edit] Awards
- International Indian Film Academy Awards' Best Cinematography - Santosh Sivan
- IIFA Awards' Best Actor (Critics) - Shahrukh Khan
- Filmfare Awards' Best Cinematography - Santosh Sivan
The film further received four Filmfare nominations, including Best Film and Best Actress for Kareena Kapoor.
