Greetings!
One of the things that attracts me to the village settings of Indian movies is the historical shows, the ear-tingling stories, and the fiery fights that appear so real even though they comprise many film tricks. I came across Asoka and didn’t bother reading reviews—I just knew it had to be a historical story, especially with the actor in the photo holding a very unique sword. So, I decided to give it a watch.
The beginning portrays a scene where the king gives up his sword, which had pushed him into numerous fights and wars, leading to the deaths of many innocent souls. According to him, the sword only seeks blood and knows nothing of peace. One of his sons, Asoka, begged him to inherit the sword, but the king refused.
After the sword was thrown away into the river, Asoka went behind his father’s back, searched for it, and kept it. Perhaps predictable, but I just knew that’s where the trouble would begin.
The king is still alive, and his two sons—Susima and Asoka—must fight for the throne. A terrible situation in the palace, filled with hatred and attempted murders. Asoka’s mother begs him to leave the town and forget about the throne. After much drama, he agrees. Asoka departs to a faraway village to live as an ordinary person. There, he meets his first love, Kaurwaki, and her younger brother Arya, who happens to be the heir to the throne of their kingdom.
The lovey-dovey moments were so overwhelming that I started to lose interest in the movie. I had expected more focus on Asoka’s eventual return to the throne or at least a return to the initial danger associated with the sword he inherited.
As the story progresses, trouble arises here and there, eventually forcing Asoka to return to his kingdom. Ready to claim the throne, he succeeds, but just as expected, the inherited sword fuels his rage to kill, transforming him into an emperor that's a terror—“evil Asoka.”
Opinions and Honest Criticisms:
I must admit, I loved the fight scenes. They relied less on film tricks, although the clips of direct slaughters were covered up, likely due to the era in which the movie was made(2001). Unlike modern films that show graphic cuts, Asoka leaves much to the imagination.
The type of weapons used fascinated me—they seemed so original and did a great job portraying Indian culture.
The movie began on a strong note, showcasing themes of action, hatred, and bloodshed, but 80% of the runtime was devoted to excessive love scenes. While the love story connects to the ending, it felt overly drawn out. I wasn't crazy about the dance scenes even though they're up to six scenes, the other displays especially how they tried to make it a comic one but most of the displays were off. The two main characters, Kaurwaki(Kareena Kapoor) and Asoka(Shah Rukh Khan) I guess they don't fit in such too much of a comic role.
India movies are known to be long on duration and this one is no exception, it lasted for 3hrs.
I would rate it a 6/10.
Thanks for reading!
Thumbnail source: Imdb
Other photos are screenshots from my video player
