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Asoka
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Asoka (2001) -- The Epic tale of King Asoka's life.

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   2,337 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Santosh Sivan
Writers:
Saket Chaudhary (screenplay)
Santosh Sivan (screenplay)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Ashoka the Great on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 October 2001 (India) more
Genre:
Action | Drama | History | Romance | War more
Tagline:
Only the dead have seen the end of war.
Plot:
The Epic tale of King Asoka's life. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 wins & 17 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Shahrukh Khan in a Tamil movie?
 (From indicine. 15 June 2009, 10:34 AM, PDT)

Anything For Shah Rukh: Santosh Sivan
 (From RealBollywood. 25 February 2009, 2:45 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Another 10 minutes would have helped more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Shahrukh Khan ... Asoka
Kareena Kapoor ... Kaurwaki (as Karriena Kapoor)
Danny Denzongpa ... Virat
Rahul Dev ... Bheema
Hrishitaa Bhatt ... Devi
Gerson Da Cunha ... King Bindusara (as Gerson da' Cunha)
Subhashini Ali ... Dharma (as Subhashini)
Umesh Mehra ... Emperor Chadragupta
Sooraj Balaji ... Prince Aryan
Johnny Lever ... Magadha soldier
Raghuvir Yadav ... Magadha soldier
Suresh Menon ... Magadha soldier
Ajith ... Susima (as Ajit Kumar)
Shilpa Mehta ... Queen (Susima's mother) (as Shilpa A. Mehta)
Rajlaxmi R. Roy ... Bar Girl (Aa Tayar Ho Ja)
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Ashoka the Great (India: English title) (USA)
Samrat Ashoka (India: Tamil title) (dubbed version)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violence.
Runtime:
169 min (International version) | 180 min (uncut version) | UK:176 min | USA:155 min (director's cut)
Country:
India
Language:
Hindi
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor had to undergo training in sword fighting for their roles. more
Movie Connections:
References Wo hu cang long (2000) more
Soundtrack:
Aa tayar Ho Hoja more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
13 out of 17 people found the following comment useful:-
Another 10 minutes would have helped, 1 November 2001
10/10
Author: das-7 from Canada

While this engaging film wonderfully depicts the evolution of a young man into the ferocious killing machine emperor called ChandAshoka (Wild Ashoka) it pays little attention to the much more vital legacy as DharmAshoka (Faithful Ashoka). Cutting two songs, and adding another 10 minutes of exposition to show his evolution into the enlightened and compassionate meesenger of Buddhism would have made the film much more complete, and raised it to the level of highest achievement. Ashoka made Kalinga into a centre of Buddhism that endured more than a millennium, until the Shaivaite and Vaishnavite Hindu Renaissance of the 12th and 13th centuries. His legacy as a prophet of multiculturalism, peace and tolerance was insufficiently explored. It might have helped to have had an English translation of the beautiful and profound rock edicts that were shown only as a visual element in the opening and closing credits. It is a shame that Ashoka's Greek ancestry is not even acknowledged in the film. His grandfather Chandragupta, who is seen as convert to the ultra-pacifist Jain faith in the opening scenes, married the daughter of rht edfeated Greek general Seleucus Nicator, who led Alexander the Great's forces to defeat in the Punjab. Ashoka was born of one of Bindusara's Indian wives, which makes Ashoka at least one quarter Greek -- he was the very fusion of the Greco-Indian classical tradition, snd it was he who caused to be erected the collossal Buddhas at Bamiyan, destroyed earlier this year by the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Despite these minor failings it is a superb film, and even today you can wander the sand dunes of the River Daya (Compassion) in southeastern Orissa (formerly Kalinga) and experience the fullimagining of the Ashokan battlefield. Best regards Satya

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Asoka (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Mention of Buddhism Brit-wit
Question about the songs. themill
'Kalinga is a democracy' - WHAT??? UniversalLove
enjoyed it but... tulz
how it ends xxnabzxx
Are there any musicals? badassjosh0076
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