Instant Favorite.

From my favorite movies..

Fantastic!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

inane dialogue delivery.. most actors barely touch the surface of the characters they play.. song and dance (though some of the songs are very enjoyable and melodious).. nowhere close to the story of the greatest emperor to rule the largest area ever ruled by a subcontinental power - an empire larger than that of Aurangzeb, or the British, or present-day India.. a rather tame tribute this movie is, to the man honoured prolifically by the Republic of India, that chose his symbol as its national symbol after independence.. disappointing movie really.. still, there are some redeeming features - shahrukh khan isn't too bad.. the battle sequences aren't ridiculous.. and the music is probably Anu Malik's best work.. and of course we get gripped by the tale despite it sticking very loosely to the actual historical narrative.. maybe I was expecting too much

When the ace cinematographer holds the megaphone what would you expect? Nothing but ethereal beauty on the silver screen. SRK:: For once he should be appreciated to have backed the project as a producer. All things said and done, it cannot be denied that he has taken leap of faith number of times in his career resulting in phenomenal success in his graph. Yes, Asoka falls into the same category. He gives his best to breathe life into the character of Asoka. The character is shown to be torn between the love for his mother, Kaurwaki and motherland. Kareena Kapoor:: Certainly you would carry the image of Kaurwaki for a few decades to come. Last time it was Rekha in "Utsav" and maybe Vyjayanthimala in "Amrapali". The cinematographer has left no stone unturned to present her in the best light possible. Her character is fleshed out strongly and therefore Kareena gets lots of scope to showcase her talent. Danny:: Reliable.Rahul Dev:: Good writing was warranted to make the character leave an lasting impression. Otherwise he demonstrated a well-chiselled frame.Hrishita Bhatt: Decent performance considering the scope of her character. Sadly Asoka could not do much value-addition to her standing in Bollywood.Ajith:: Down-south I am sure he was a huge heart-throb. Sadly went un- noticed in Bollywood. Additionally there was no meat in the character. Enigmatic lyrics were translated into melodious numbers by Anu Mallik, they were in top-form indeed,. Chroreography was top-notch. Special mention to Gayatri Jayaraman and Rajlaxmi R. Roy who featured in the "Raat Ka Nasha" & "Aa Tayar Ho Ja" songs. Sadly 'Asoka' ended up being compared to 'Lagaan' which released around the same time and therefore did not garner the due patrons.

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.

Over all I enjoyed this film. Sometimes it was a bit hard to follow but I gather from the 'Making of...' on the DVD that in India the story is well known so maybe they assumed background knowledge I simply do not have. I could have used a bit more explanation.Also I don't really watch Bollywood films (the only one I've seen before is "Mother India") so the conventions used were a little unfamiliar. In particular the sudden gear changes from serious/romantic to comic relief (the three guards, who were hilarious) or a musical number jarred a little.I'd certainly recommend this film to any of my friends to watch. If you're a fan of big beautiful scenery in films then I sincerely recommend this film. The exterior scenes are largely set in bright colourful rural areas, reminded me somewhat of "In My Country"/"Country of My Skull".The final battle, or rather it's aftermath, is very interesting. It's not that often that we get to see the battlefield afterwards, the impact was quite powerful. According to the 'Making of...', where they talked about the stories on which the film is based, it was walking through the the battlefield and seeing the results of battle that caused Asoka to become such a proponent of peace (this is mentioned in the closing exposition but not shown in the film).Stephen