Sunday 3 April 2011

Asoka

2001 Director Santosh Sivan

Cinematographer turned director Santosh Sivan follows up on his acclaimed 1999 opus Malli with this sweeping historical epic.

Asoka traces the life of Emperor Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya who ascended the throne of Magadha in the 3rd century BC. To extend the borders of his empire, Asoka waged one of the bloodiest wars in history with the neighboring kingdom of Kalinga, leaving it ravaged and devastated. Confronted by the aftermath of his conquest in which hundreds of thousands lost their lives, Asoka is overcome with remorse and renounces the path of war to dedicate his life to spreading the teachings of Buddhism across the world.

This is a story based on legends.  This film does not claim to be a complete historical account of Asoka's life but an attempt to follow his journey. It is visually stunning and a brave effort to compact such a history into a mere two and half hours. Sivan has a very different and unique style of film making.

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