(2001)
3.5
Tom Vick
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.
Asoka on AllMovie
Asoka (2001)
