Review of Aśoka (2001) by Yash S — 13 Jun 2009
This is extremely pedestrian filmmaking in many ways - bad script, terrible acting, flimsy villains etc. By global standards this is very very mediocre cinema. You need to have seen tons of Hindi films to appreciate why this could possibly be important to anyone.
It has one redeeming factor, which is of course Santosh Sivan's awesome photography. And it has a genuine sense of adventure and viciousness. The film is hampered by the overly commercial sensibilities of its producer (who is also the lead actor).
If one could give Sivan an unlimited budget and zero artistic limitations, he could probably make a solid & uncompromising piece of film. Alas, commercial Indian cinema is light years behind the rest of the world in every possible way.
A very young 20-year-old Kareena Kapoor is *jaw-hanging-open* dazzling to look at.
This review of Aśoka (2001) was written by Yash S on 13 Jun 2009.
Aśoka has generally received positive reviews.
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