Asoka film: Encyclopedia - Asoka film

Asoka (film)

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 northern India 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.

The film was indifferently received at the box office, but won many awards for its cast and crew. Santosh Sivan won the award for best cinematography for his work on Asoka at India's 2002 Filmfare Awards ceremony. The film was also nominated for best actress (Kareena Kapoor), best director (Santosh Sivan), best female playback singer (Alka Yagnik for the song "San Sanana"), and best film. Additionally, Sivan's cinematography won an award for technical excellence at the 2002 Awards of the International Indian Film Academy.

Asoka film - Plot Synopsis

The film embroiders on several episodes in the life of the historical Ashoka, a 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.

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.

Asoka film - 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.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Asoka film", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki