Why you can trust GamesRadar+
The Terrorist director Santosh Sivan uses two of Bollywood's biggest young stars, Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor, for this lavish biopic of the legendary Emperor Asoka, a warrior leader who renounced violence and converted to Buddhism.
Popular Hindu films invariably privilege emotion and spectacle above complex characterisations, and Asoka continues this tradition. The incident-packed narrative begins with our dashing hero (Khan) leaving the royal city of Magadh to travel around his kingdom incognito. He meets, woos and tutors the beautiful Princess Kaurwaki (Kapoor), but the lovers find themselves on opposing sides in a war between rival states.
Asoka resembles Braveheart in its blend of a sweeping love story, dynastic intrigues and bloody battles. Yet amid the song-and-dance numbers and choreographed swordplay, the best sequence is the attempted assassination of a bathing Asoka where acute editing and bold compositions combine to striking effect.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
Andor season 2 is introducing a ship from a beloved 30-year-old Star Wars game to canon
Stardew Valley creator kills the coyote he just invented with new Switch update that fixes "the bomb crash, disappearing chickens, and more"
Red Hulk gets his own comic series just in time for Captain America: Brave New World