Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
SanEat
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Bumpy Chip
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
azza_mis
This is the best epic movie I've ever seen. You can not see an epic movie with more emotions. I am not an Urdu or Hindi speaker so I watched the movie with English subtitles. I am sure those who can understand the language will enjoy it more but it was great with the subtitles.Raj Kumar Asoka (Shah Rukh Khan) has a sweetheart but time have turned him into an evil heartless soul after the loss of his love princess Karwaki (Kareen Kapoor). The switch that happened in his personality and attitude between the beginning of the movie and towards the middle is impressive. He was the soft loving prince at the start, then turned to be the evil heartless ruler at the middle.The flow of events are just perfectly done. It is an amaaaaaazing movie, and I really encourage all of you to watch it :)
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
kenner-3
This film is not for everyone. It has the typical Bollywood treatment, complete with a multitude of bright colours, pretty dancing girls, long dance numbers,and catchy tunes. The sets and fighting scenes are poor. The direction is disjointed and the editing clumsy. Nonetheless the film has great charm. The tragic tale of Prince Asoka, the great emperor and disperser of Bhuddism, probably bears no greater resemblance to history than does Shakespeare's MacBeth or Anthony and Cleopatra. But it does have something profound to say and its format as a tragedy can be moving. The lead actors are competent and the script is deserving of better treatment. Don't expect too much and you may find yourself moved by its colour, pageantry, charm and message of the value of peace and fullfillment over war and ambition.
HeadleyLamarr
Asoka is an amazing film of epic proportions that charts the journey of a man from arrogant prince to romantic ordinary man to cruel emperor to penitent reformer. This is a roller-coaster ride set in a time and about a man not much written of in the history books. Most records of the time are in the form of rock carvings that he erected. Asoka is the son of a lesser queen of Bindusara - the Magadh emperor. He is engaged in bitter rivalry with his step brothers and is sent off to live like a common man as his mother fears for his life. There he meets another exiled royal family from Kalinga, falls in love with Princess Kaurwaki and marries her. He is summoned back by the emperor and due to the machinations of the Kalinga minster loses track of Kaurwaki. He is injured in an attack planned by his step brothers, nursed back to health by a Buddhist girl and eventually marries her. After yet another attack by his step brothers he goes on a rampage and kills off his step brothers, then wages a fierce battle with Kalinga. It is at the end of this bloody battle that he renounces war and vows to spread the message of peace.The film ends at the point of his transformation to a peace loving man and is Asoka's journey from boyhood to manhood. Santosh Sivan crafted an amazing film around these few known facts of Asoka's life. Much is interpretation and the film is imbued with a brilliance and depth that I found fascinating. The cinematography is excellent, the settings most authentic in the rock caves, old stone palaces, the unspoilt outdoors. In fact the film is the antithesis of Devdas in how minimalist the settings are. The Kalinga battle is an exhilarating mix of dreamy slow motion and brutal quick action and has maximum impact. All the other fight scenes are outstanding too.The acting is excellent throughout. Kareena is luminous as Kaurwaki - with minimal adornment she manages to look ravishing and gives an excellent performance. She shines as the princess who is learning swordplay, as the woman who is searching for her lover. Shahrukh delivers an outstanding performance as the young carefree prince, the bemused lover, as the cruel prince and emperor and finally as the penitent. This role gives him the opportunity to explore the entire range of his acting repertoire and to do it in an outstanding fashion. "Sushima, I have killed all my brothers, can I sit on the throne now?" will send chills down your spine. Hrishitaa Bhatt is excellent in her small role as Devi, Ajith Kumar gives a fine performance as Sushima, also worth mention are Danny Denzongpa as Virat, and Rahul Dev as Bheema. But the one actor that I will not forget is the child star Suraj Balaji who did an excellent job as the young prince Arya.Anu Malik created some fine tunes for this film - the music is not as pure as it could be but I still love it. My favorite numbers are Raat Ka Nasha Abhi, San Sannananna, and Roshni Se Bhare. Roshni Se is picturized in an amazing manner.All in all, despite all the controversy surrounding this film, it remains one of my favorite epics, a high quality film that is worth many a repeat watch.
