Asoka is the story of a man’s journey. A journey that changes a young prince into a hopeless romantic. It changes a man bittered by betrayals into a ruthless warrior consumed with ambition. It changes a man who cares nothing about victory into a man dedicated to spreading peace around the world.

Who’s Destiny is greater than that of the Emperor? The Traveller’s…..when he has completed his journey

SYNOPSIS

Prince Asoka is intrigued by an old man who informs him even Emperors are 'ordinary' and that his destiny transcends the crown and the throne. Asoka is the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. Asoka ascended the throne of the powerful kingdom Maghada in the 3rd century B.C.

To extend the boundaries of his empire, Asoka waged one of the bloodiest wars in history with the neighbouring kingdom of Kalinga, leaving it ravaged and devastated.

Confronted by the aftermath of his conquest, in which thousands lost their lives, Asoka is overcome by remorse. He renounces the path of war and dedicates his life to spreading the light of Buddhism across the world.

CHARACTER SKETCHES

The story is a very intense and emotional storyline, and I believe that stories like these are better witnessed on screen than on a review. Here are some character sketches which will give you a good idea of the storyline without giving it away

PRINCE ASOKA (Shahrukh Khan) ­ The prince and emperor of Maghada who’s story was traced throughout the entire story. It shows the transformation of a beloved son to an obsessive romantic. From a man embittered by betrayals to a ruthless warrior consumed by ambition. From a conqueror of lands to a conqueror of self. The main character and focus of the story, and the one with many different shades to their character.

PRINCESS KAURWAKI (Kareena Kapoor)­ Kaurwaki’s character is the one that changes Asoka’s attitude in the story. Asoka took on the name of “Pawan” when he was with her so that she would not know that he was a Prince. She is the princess of Kalinga, along with her brother Prince ARYA (Suraj Balaje) and the General of the Kalinga Army BHEEM (Rahul Dev) who are in hiding after Arya’s and Kaurwaki’s parents, the King and Queen, were killed by the Prime Minister of Kalinga. She represents the time of peace and love in Asoka’s life, something that was missing when Asoka was Emperor of the Kingdom. She also is that healing process that brings Asoka back to peace and causes Asoka to denounce war once and for all.

SUSIM (Ajit Kumar) ­ Asoka’s brother and also one of the men wanting to be the next emperor of Maghada. This is the main negative character in the film, as many times he sends out henchmen to try and kill Asoka but they always come up empty. His death represents the changing of Asoka from a bitter man to a ruthless warrior wanting just victory.

DEVI (Hrishita Bhatt) ­ One of the minor characters of the film but still an effective one. Asoka returns to his kingdom and wages a war against another territory where he is injured severely. Devi nurses him, and in the process, protects Asoka from a man sent by Susim to kill Asoka in his weakened state. She is one of the factors that introduces Buddhism into Asoka’s life, but it is not strong enough to change Asoka from becoming into a ruthless warrior.

BHEEM (Rahul Dev) ­ He is the general of the army in Kalinga, the enemy of Maghada and of Asoka. He was sent primarily to protect Kaurwaki and Arya and to get them back to the empire in Kalinga. His character has shades of a negative character, but mostly we admire the man who is sent back to protect the royal prince and princess.

ARYA (Suraj Balaje) ­ The Prince of Kalinga, and heir to the throne. Although Arya is only a child not of even 10 years old, his life has already been threatened many times by the current prime minister of Kalinga, who wants to become the emperor. The only way this can happen is if Arya, who has no successor, is killed thus making the Prime Minister step up the ladder to the top position.

THE MUSIC

“San Sana” picturized on Kareena Kapoor with Shahrukh watching in the background, “Aa Tayar Hoga” picturized on Rajlakshmi Roy in a bar scene, and “Raat Ka Nasha” female version picturized on Kareena Kapoor. The effect of the songs has been felt loud and clear, and were placed VERY well in the movie. Overall, the picturization of the songs was mind-blowing, and Anu Malik’s music is very nice and will be remembered.

THE TECHNICAL EFFECTS

The film is technically on the same level of films like Lagaan and Aks in 2001-02. Ever since the beginning of the film, it felt as though it was a hollywood cinematic experience, and yet, it was a very indian and cultural concept. Cinematography by Santosh Sivan, is, as expected, spellbinding. The background music by Sandeep Chotwa is excellent as well, and complements the story very well. Screenplay by Saket Chaudhary and Santosh Sivan has been done extremely well. The choreography by Farah Khan, dialogues by Abbas Tyrewala, Art direction by Sabu Cyril, editing by Sreekar Prasad and Costumes by Anu Vardhan, Manish Malhotra and Naresh Rohira all deserve top marks.

OVERALL rating ****


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