Asoka

India 2001, 169 minutes
Dir. Santosh Sivan
In Hindi with English subtitles
Rating: [M]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Action/Adventure / Adventure, Epic

Topics: Swashbuckler, Bollywood.

Feat. Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Danny Denzongpa

Aroview: Scintillating, hallucinatory epic of ancient India that’s perhaps the first ‘Bollywood’ film to reach international audiences, telling the story of Prince Asoka – a born-warrior who went on to preach hinduism and ‘non-violence’ – with fast-cut battle-scenes and MOULIN ROUGE-style musical numbers.

Satisfyingly pacy, with an unabashed taste for exotic-kitsch spectacle and utilising the charisma of Shah Rukh Khan (the Tom Cruise of South Asia), this will provide a spicy mouthful for action-fans.

Incredible Film Fest 2002