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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Worth Watching Jun 16, 2010
When monsters become monks, it's usually the stuff of legends. But Asoka--a bloodthirsty emperor who later renounced violence--was a real person. The 2001 film 'Asoka,' about his early life, captures in mesmerizing fashion how such an unlikely conversion could take place.
Asoka was the favorite grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the emperor of the kingdom of Magadha in the third century BC. Chandragupta beat back the armies of Alexander the Great, conquered most of the Indian subcontinent, and then adopted the Jain religion, renounced his throne, and died from fasting. The empire fell to his son Bindusara, whose heir apparent was Asoka's eldest brother Susima.
And that's where the film begins. There's no trace of the Asoka who would one day convert to Buddhism and become one of the world's first great humanitarians, a man who made nonviolence the law of his vast land. Shahrukh Khan plays the young Asoka, a skilled and merciless warrior with ruthless political ambition, a role perfectly suited to Khan's intense dramatic style (he always shines as an antihero). Asoka is an animal in a kill-or-be-killed courtly world, but when he's temporarily exiled and gets mixed up with a woman on the run, Kaurwaki (Kareena Kapoor), his love for her humanizes him--and Khan and Kapoor make a scorching pair. When Asoka is falsely told she's dead, he's shattered, marries another--a Buddhist named Devi (Hrishita Bhatt)--violently assumes the throne, and becomes even more brutal than before. The story is bolstered by striking art direction, tight editing, and fantastic performances by supporting actors.
The lavish final battle scene--which included 6,000 extras--is refreshingly low-tech and all the more realistic as a result. The aftermath is gory and moving as Asoka searches among the corpses for his lost love. (According to historical records, Asoka was horrified by the magnitude of death he'd caused at the Battle of Kalinga, which prompted him to reform.)
There are a couple of detracting elements that break the film's powerful spell. The use of comedy is a distraction rather than a relief. That's not an indictment of masala--Bollywood's traditional blending of genres--but in this case, it doesn't work. The drama is too captivating to downshift out of it. Also, the songs seem too contemporary for a historical pic.
Finally, the film was criticized for its historical inaccuracies (Devi was actually Asoka's first wife; he married Kaurwaki later). The criticism is unfair to some degree given that it's necessary to take liberties with true stories in order to create a narrative arc, but since the film's explanation of Asoka's profound change doesn't jibe with the facts, his confounding transformation remains, unsatisfyingly, a mystery.
- The Bollywood Ticket: The American guide to Indian movies (Subscribe: The Bollywood Ticket)
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 An insult to Buddhists Nov 27, 2009
ARgh! Expecting a serious treatment of the story of an important figure in the history of Buddhism, what I got was an Indian music video. Very disappointing!
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Horrible Oct 05, 2009
This movie was just plain horrible! There was no historical accuracy and barely any fight scene (no that expect many from a Bollywood film). Kareena Kapoor was terrible and spent most of the movie doused in water like a wet rat. Do yourself a favor and save the three hours of your life you'll never get back for something more useful.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
A warrior's journey. Sep 21, 2009
"Asoka" should probably be considered historical fiction. It's based on the life of the real-life Indian "Emperor of Emperors", but as the opening text informs you, it is largely fictionalized. I imagine the spontaneous song-and-dance numbers that pop up regularly would indicate that, but in case you are dense they tell you anyways. The film is largely in the tradition of classic Asian war epics, but with that unmistakable Indian touch of whimsy and chaste sensuality. More on that later. The film runs the gamut of emotions from sheer joy to lust, violence, and stunning heartbreak. It's an absolute tour-de-force from a country whose films are often the subject of parody and laughter in the West. Nobody will parody this one. "Asoka" is no joke and can easily be compared the China's wuxia classics.
The central theme of this very long and involving story is the way love can transform you. The title character is the classic Prince who leaves his land to seek adventure as a commoner after his arrogant ways lead to his own brothers attempting to have him assassinated. While Asoka is the baddest warrior in the land (possibly due to the influence of a demonic sword), he is led to self-imposed exile when his beloved mother, fearing for his life, takes a vow of lifelong silence until he leaves. Shortly upon embarking, he encounters a vision of spectacular beauty: a green-eyed girl singing and dancing as she bathes in a waterfall. And I have to say, there are few actresses in the history of cinema more instantly desirable then Kareena Kapoordebarking. She puts on a hell of a show for the young prince (and the viewer) and upon meeting her peeper, quickly departs after a somehow charming threat of violence. Naturally, the headstrong warrior is only more intrigued. So begins his REAL journey.
One of the first things that struck me about "Asoka" was the low production values in the early scenes. I'm hardly a film snob, but I'm just not used to a 2001 film that looks like a 1960's chop-socky flick. Thankfully, I like me some chop-socky. Quickly overlooked and forgotten as the quality seems to spike later. More disconcerting however, is the occasionally shoddy recording of the voices for the musical numbers. One likes for the film to maintain the illusion of the characters actually singing, but that's hard to do when the vocals occasionally sound like somebody held a tape recorder up to a vocalist's mouth to record the parts. Bad news in a musical. Thankfully, this is anything but an average song-and-dance affair and low-budget does not mean low-quality.
The musical scenes flow very well with the story most of the time. Occasionally, there are random performances in bars or in the streets just for the fun of it to break up the action a little, but at least one does a great job of advancing the lead characters' relationship, which is great. A few are completely unnecessary and one resembles a bad Latin pop video, but most are very enjoyable provided you are not dead inside and are still able to find some joy in life. You'll walk away from this film with some catchy tunes in your head for sure. And don't worry; there's bloodshed to offset all the hip-swaying, scatting, and sitars. "Asoka" boasts some very nice action scenes. Leading man Shahrukh Khan brings the noise when it's time to step up the cool factor. The bit that impressed me the most involved a long flexible blade that he wielded as a whip. That is just sweet. Another early scene where an assassin tries to take him down as he bathes in the river is made entirely out of bada$z. While the middle of the film focuses entirely on romance, in the end Asoka returns to the battlefield with a vengeance and inflicts much harm in some large-scale battles that portray the horrors of war. Seeing a man collapse in despair on a pile of severed limbs, corpses, and blood covering the ground is just the kind of image that strikes right to the core of the matter. And when it comes down to it, the film pulls no punches. The final act is overflowing with bitter irony and tragedy of the worst kind.
As I said, the theme of "Asoka" is love's ability to change us from the inside. It strikes at the very core of our being and few who have experience it can deny this. Seeing love transform the arrogant, ambitious, violent prince first into a smiling happy-go-lucky boy who wants nothing more then peace, then into a brutal tyrant who cares for nothing, and finally a Buddhist legend -all over the woman he loves- is just amazing. The story is a work of art and unassailable. I always enjoy a peep into an exotic culture as well. In this case, I spent time pondering India's must-vaunted sensuality. The clothing is often exceptionally skimpy, the ladies sway their hips in the most provocative ways, lovers caress each other, the lyrics are suggestive, one song's verses are punctuated by a teasingly breathy rhythmic sigh, and the music itself has a sexually inviting aura to it. And yet there is no kissing and certainly no actual love scene to be found in spite of the fact that so much of the film is focused on desire and sexual tension. This is largely due to the conservative values of India and the fact that intimate displays of affection including kissing are viewed as indecent. That's right; the culture that brought us the Kama Sutra is uptight about kissing. Watch for it in this one. Sexual thoughts and feelings pervade nearly every scene, but that tension is never released. In Western cinema, that is nearly unheard of. In India, it's practically the law. Other cultures are truly fascinating.
Pointless observations aside, "Asoka" is an absolute must for fans of epic Asian cinema. Even Western film fans should give it a try. You never know, you might like it. There's an whole world of film outside of America and more often then not, it kicks our tail. This was the first Bollywood flick I've seen and it's unlikely to be the last. In spite of the epic length, the story is pretty well paced and the platter of entertainment it serves has something for everybody. There's some classic comedy, killer action, despair and heartbreak, romance for miles, sexiness for days, endearing characters, and a brilliant message. "Asoka" is a great film by most any standard and you oughtta give it a shot.
4 1/2 stars rounded down for low-quality vocal recordings on high-quality musical numbers.
 Cultural Arts Center of Saint Louis recommends Jul 08, 2009
Traces the life of Emperor Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya who ascended the throne of Magadha in the 3rd century B.C. To extend the borders of his kingdom, he wages one of the bloodiest wars in history with the neighboring kingdom of Kalinga, leaving it ravaged and devastated. Confronted by the aftermath of his conquest, Asoka is overcome with remorse and renounces the path of war to dedicate his life to spreading the teachings of Buddhism.
CAC's Comments: By far the best musical ever produced in Bollywood. It demonstrates the Hindi culture beautifully while flaunting India's hidden secret of film producing.
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