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`Asoka' on small screen from next week
Shah Rukh Khan as Asoka.
THE MOVIE, Asoka, almost bombed at the box office. Now will it fare better on the small screen? Asoka-The Series is to be telecast by Star Plus at 9 p.m. every Tuesday from next week.
With Shah Rukh Khan playing Asoka, one of the greatest emperors of all times, it comes as a five-part mini series. Tuesday nights will come alive with the vibrancy, energy, and passion of the great emperor, whose love story is set against the backdrop of war.
The mini series will cover the grandeur and opulence of the Maurya Dynasty, the battles fought by Asoka to become the emperor, and the romance and love of the king-in-waiting with the princess-in-exile, Kaurwaki.
Their love is passionate, vibrant, and almost magical. However, before it attains fulfilment, Asoka has to return to Magadh to stake his claim to the throne. With memories of Kaurwaki haunting him, Asoka embarks on his journey to become the supreme emperor.
Asoka finds himself conquering empire after empire, winning each battle till he reaches Kalinga. Amid the war cries and carnage, Asoka's sword rules. Kaurwaki, who is valiantly defending her land, is stunned to see her lover as her enemy.
Although Asoka wins the war, he is confronted with a battlefield strewn with bodies and sounds of grieving survivors, and a wounded Kaurwaki.
Asoka's biggest victory turns into a personal loss for him. He finds solace in the teachings of Gautama Buddha. The conqueror of kingdoms turns into a conqueror of souls. A monarch becomes a monk.
``Asoka, is very simply put, a Greek tragedy hero, whose major flaw is inherent in him. The enemy is within. He is arrogant, strong, and flamboyant with a sense of humour. He believes he is right in what he does. With an impish streak in him, he breaks social and moral codes, which is all a part of his arrogance.
But when he realises the seriousness of the wrong done by him, he is ready to apologise.
It is this apology that changed the world,'' Shah Rukh Khan said.
Playing Kaurwaki was no easy task for Kareina Kapoor, then a newcomer.
"The most amazing aspect of the character is that she is very feminine when she has to be, but rises like a phoneix when her country needs her. She throws caution to the winds and accepts danger like a man. She is strong, yet vulnerable,'' Kareina said about her role.
The director of the film, Santosh Sivan, whose dream project was Asoka, said: "What interested me about Asoka was that here is a man who metamorphosed from an ambitious conqueror to something totally different. At the end of the Kalinga war, he sees what went wrong. It was Asoka the human being that was so fascinating. Asoka was a film I had to make.''
By K Satyamurty
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