asoka ( without sorrow ) and 2001 and 171min and dreamz unlimited if you like sparta 300 and gladiator and you will love this movie . writer director santosh sivan set out to make this loosely historical epic young emperor asoka and one of the india great emperor of the maurya dynasty from 273 bce to 232 bce . though the story be largely fictional and sivan us actual historical figure and tell the story in the context of the event of the day . from it open moment detail asoka trust for the sword to the sumptuous splendor of the battlefield define the skill of asoka swordsmanship and the visuals of the film asoka be simply breathtaking . blend an eye for detail in production design and sivan bring the long dead civilization back to life like no other hindi film have do before . first and foremost and a big round of applause to not only sivan for orchestrate this enjoyable historical jaunt and evocative cinematography and but also manish malhotra for the gorgeous costume design and john kundan pai for the beautiful production design . stun ancient architecture and strategic use of curtain and lighting and and absolutely stunning garb work with the unique camera angle to bring the ancient era to light . scholarly issue aside and this be the kind of film that define the term amasterpiece fill with spectacle and action and and tell a story of epic scope and humanity . asoka be an enthralling and totally immersing production that will probably be view a a hindi classic pave the way to film like jodha akbar . asoka and kaurwaki ( unbeknown to her that he be indeed her love pawan ) and gather their force for the final show down confrontation know to history a the battle of kalinga and whose outcome decide the fate of civilization and destiny of asoka . a man who begin his life a an emperor but end a a monk achieve what he dreamt of which be to become the great emperor in history and that be emperor of heart . the reticence pay off near the end when screenwriter provide the character with a provocative and literate debate about the nature of war . though many will remember the film for it violent and edge of your seat battle and there be a lot of humanity find within this film and which build up nicely to the film emotionally satisfy climax . sivan choose to devote a fair amount of time focus on asoka worrier princess kaurwaki and play beautifully by kareena kapoor . her character be a violent and sensual and and full of intrigue her counterpart prince asoka . this complex love relationship between two people from rival kingdom be expand upon from it historical reference to portray kaurwaki a a strong willed and passionate woman . there be few of passionate ( i say not enough ) moment between asoka and princess kaurwaki highlight by the music sequence toss in to balance out the brutal and savage war scene ( not to mention a smoking hot wet scene of shahrukh and kareena ) make the film worthwhile to watch . what raise asoka above the usual epic drama be not only the strength of it story but power of it performance . more on isisbollywood rhk .