Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat
Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat (English: The Great Emperor Ashoka) is a 2015 Indian historical drama TV series[2] that aired on Colors TV from 2 February 2015 to 7 October 2016.[3] The show was created and written by author and screenwriter Faizan Mohammad and cast by Radhesh More.[4][5] It stars Mohit Raina as Ashoka[6][7] with Siddharth Nigam portraying the young version of the character.[8][9][10]
| Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical Fiction Drama |
| Created by | Ashok Banker Abhimanyu Singh |
| Written by | Ashok Banker |
| Directed by | Prasad Gavandi |
| Creative directors | Jitendra Srivastava, Nafees Khan |
| Starring | |
| Opening theme | Ashoka Hai, Ashoka Tha |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 442[1] |
| Production | |
| Producers | Abhimanyu Singh Rupali Singh |
| Production locations | Karjat, Raigad district, Maharashtra, India |
| Cinematography | Deepak Pandey |
| Running time | approx. 20 minutes |
| Production company | Contiloe Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | Colors TV |
| Picture format | 576i 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | 2 February 2015 – 7 October 2016 |
Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat was based on the life of Emperor Ashoka (304–232 BCE), the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty of India. The series tells the story of how he faced the problems outside and inside Magadha, eventually rising to become its ruler.[5][11][12][13][14] The historical drama was produced by Contiloe Entertainment and directed by Prasad Gavandi. The show premiered on 2 February 2015 with a 1-hour telecast duration for the first 20 episodes.[15][16][17] The serial ended on 7 October 2016.[18]
Plot
This series starts when Magadha is ruled by Emperor Bindusara Maurya. Bindusara's step-mother, Helena conspires against him. Bindusara is attacked but is saved by a Brahmin woman in Champa named Dharma. Bindusara is amazed at her and marries her. Dharma then conceives a child. She refuses to visit royal palace with Bindusara, who promised her to return. Bindusara's third queen, Noor and her father, Mir Khorasan, seek to assassinate Dharma. Mir attacks Dharma and kills her father. He then sets her hut on fire. Bindusara assumes Dharma to be dead, but Dharma survives and gives birth to a son, Ashoka.
14 years later
Ashoka is now grown into a brave boy and lives with Dharma in a hamlet. Chanakya spots Ashoka and finds his truth, but promises Dharma to keep it a secret. Chanakya and his disciple, Radhagupta takes them to Pataliputra disguising Dharma as a royal physician. Ashoka impresses Bindusara and they develop a bond, irritating Bindusara's eldest son, Sushim, his mother Charumitra, Mir Khorasan, Helena and her son, Justin. Eventually, Ashoka finds about his father and reunites Bindusara and Dharma. Chanakya is trapped and set in fire by Helena, Khallatak, Charumitra, Sushim and Siamak. Ashoka saves him from fire and Chanakya dies asking Ashoka to become the Emperor and realize his dream of Akhanda Bharat. Ashoka is shattered and vows to catch the murderers.
Later, Ashoka is succeed in saving Taxila from Kichak. He falls in love with Kaurvaki, the princess of Kalinga. Helena reveals Ashoka about the murders of Chanakya and fakes a suicide. Ashoka is enraged and stabs Sushim and banished by Bindusara. Dharma and her newborn son Vitashoka (Vit) accompany him to Ujjain and Ashoka vows to come back stronger and avenge Chanakya's death.
10 years later
Ashoka, now known as Chand, has become a ruthless, angry man who just wants revenge. He lives with Dharma and Vit in the house of a merchant named Dhaniram. Dhaniram's daughter, Devi cares about them. Sushima has become stronger with the help of the black magic of Charumitra. Siamak has grown into a cool-headed man but thirsts for the death of Ashoka. Ashoka takes part in a wrestling contest with Sushim as Chand. Dharma and Vit come there and stop Ashoka. Bindusara recognizes them, forgives Ashoka, and asks him to come back to Pataliputra.
Ashoka exposes Helena, who is still alive as Kondana. Siamak is tricked and kills Helena. Ashoka and Sushim are supposed to marry Kaurvaki and Chanda. Kaurvaki's father, Jagannath insults Bindusara and Dharma and asks the throne of Magadha. Ashoka is enraged and marries Devi, calling off his marriage with Kaurvaki. Dharma is killed by Sushim and Bindusara also dies due a cardiac arrest caused by Charumitra's blackmagic, leaving Ashoka broken. He suspects Siamak to be Dharma's murderer and kills him. Sushim stabs Charumitra to death, mistaking her to be Kaurvaki. Khallatak teams up with Ashok. Sushim confesses his crimes. After a fierce war, Sushim falls into a lava pit and dies. Ashoka is crowned as the third emperor of Magadha.
Some time later
Devi gives birth to their son, Mahindra and later their daughter, Sanghamitta. Ashoka captures Kalinga and draws a massive amount of bloodshed, killing millions of people. This incident leaves him traumatized at the waste of human lives. He later on, decides to give up violence and embraces Buddhism. With the help of his children and ministers, he propagates the principles of Buddhism around the world for the welfare of mankind and earns the title of "Ashoka the Great", also fulfilling Chanakya's dream of Akhanda Bharath (Greater India).
Cast
| Actors, along with their respective characters, shaded in light grey are cast members whose characters died in the course of the series. |
Main cast
| Character | Portrayed by | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chakravartin Samrat Ashoka Maurya aka Chand | Siddharth Nigam | 2015–2016 | Teenage Prince Ashoka |
| Mohit Raina | 2016 | Adult Ashoka; Third Maurya Emperor; Bindusara and Dharma's elder son; Vitashoka's brother; Sushim and Dhrupad's half-brother; Sushim's arch rival; Devi and Karuvaki's husband; Mahinda and Sangamitta's father. | |
| Empress Devi | Kajol Srivastav | 2016 | Dhaniram's daughter; Ashoka's first wife; Mahinda and Sanghamitta's mother. |
| Queen Kaurvaki | Reem Shaikh | 2015–2016 | Teenage Princess Kaurvaki |
| Soumya Seth | 2016 | Adult Kaurvaki; Princess of Kalinga; Jagnnath and Vasudha's daughter; Ashoka's second wife. | |
| Queen Dharma | Pallavi Subhash | 2015-2016 | Bindusara's second wife; Ashoka and Vitashoka's mother. |
| Samrat Bindusara Maurya | Sameer Dharmadhikari | 2015-2016 | Second Maurya Emperor; Chandragupta and Durdhara's son; Helena's step-son; Justin's half-brother; Charumitra, Dharma, Noor and Subrasi's husband; Sushima, Ashoka, Dhrupad and Vitashoka's father. |
| Crown Prince Sushim Maurya | Sumedh Mudgalkar | 2015–2016 | Teenage Prince Sushim |
| Ankit Arora | 2016 | Adult Sushim; Bindusara and Charumitra's son; Ashoka, Vitashoka and Dhrupad's half-brother; Ashoka's arch rival; Chanda's husband. | |
| Acharya Chanakya | Manoj Joshi | 2015 | Chandragupta, Bindusara and Ashoka's teacher who advices them on ruling the empire; Radhagupt's teacher. |
Supporting cast
| Character | Portrayed by | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajmata Helena Maurya / Kondana | Suzanne Bernert | 2015-2016 | Seleucus's daughter; Chandragupta's second wife; Justin's mother; Siamak's grandmother. |
| Prince Vitashoka Maurya aka Vit | Dev Singhal | 2016 | Bindusara and Dharma's younger son; Ashoka's brother; Sushim and Dhrupad's half-brother. |
| Empress Charumitra | Prinal Oberoi | 2015-2016 | Bindusara's first wife; Sushim's mother. |
| Princess Chanda | Heena Parmar | 2016 | Sushim's wife. |
| Queen Subrasi | Preet Kaur Madhan | 2015-2016 | Bindusara's fourth wife; Dhrupad's mother. |
| Prince Dhrupad Maurya | Ayaan Zubair Rahmani | 2015-2016 2015-2016 | Bindusara and Subrasi's son; Sushim, Ashoka and Vitashoka's half-brother. |
| Samrat Chandragupta Maurya | Arhaan Behll (Cameo) | 2015 | First Maurya Emperor; Durdhara and Helena's husband; Justin and Bindusara's father; Sushima, Ashoka, Siamak, Dhrupad and Vitashoka's grandfather. |
| Prince Justin Maurya | Sumit Kaul | 2015 | Chandragupta and Helena's son; Bindusara's half-brother; Noor's secret lover; Agnishika's ex-fiancé; Siamak's father. |
| Queen Noor Khorasan | Ankita M. Sharma | 2015 | Khorason's daughter; Bindusara's third wife; Justin's secret lover; Siamak's mother. |
| Prince Siamak Maurya | MD Faizan Khan | 2015–2016 | Child Prince Siamak |
| Abhiram Nain | 2016 | Adult Siamak; Justin and Noor's son; Bindusara's foster son; Susima, Ashoka, Dhrupad and Vitashoka's cousin. | |
| Princess Ahenkara | Tunisha Sharma | 2015 | Princess of Ujjain; Niharika and Rajiraj's daughter; Aghnishika's cousin; Sushim's ex-fiancée; Ashoka's lover. |
| Acharya Radhagupt | Jitendra Bohra | 2015–2016 | Young Acharya Radhagupt |
| Dakssh Ajit Singh | 2016 | Adult Radhagupt; Ashoka's Prime Minister and teacher; Chanakya's disciple. | |
| Mahamatya Khallatak | Manoj Kolhatkar | 2015-2016 | Bindusara's Prime Minister; Sushim's supporter turned Ashoka's helper |
| Nayak | Jaswant Menaria | 2016 | Keechak's former commander who later supported Ashoka. He was killed in a bomb attack. |
| Mir Khorason | Vikrant Chaturvedi | 2015-2016 | Bindusara's former commander; Noor's father; Siamak's grandfather. |
| Seleucus I Nicator | Tej Sapru | 2015-2016 | Helena's father; Justin's grandfather; Siamak's great-grandfather. |
| King Jagannath | Manoj Verma | 2015-2016 | King of Kalinga; Vasudha's husband; Karuvaki's father. |
| Queen Vasudha | Alefia Kapadia | 2015-2016 | Queen of Kalinga; Jagannath's wife; Karuvaki's mother. |
| Acharya Akramak | Sachin Verma | 2015 | Ashoka's guru in Royal Academy. He was killed during a war. |
| Acharya Devrath | Rajesh Khera | 2015-2016 | Ashoka's guru in Taxila. He was killed by Keechak. |
| Princess Agnishika | Yashashri Masurkar | 2015 | Shaktiraj's daughter; Ahenkara's cousin; Justin's ex-fiancée. |
| Queen Niharika | Tapasya Nayak Srivastava | 2015 | Queen of Ujjain; Rajadiraj's wife; Ahenkara's mother. |
| Amatya Ugrasain | Shailesh Dattar | 2015 | A spy of Justin and Helena later killed by them. |
| Raja Keechak | Sudhanshu Pandey | 2015-2016 | Ruthless ruler of Taxila; Vasantsena's brother; Bahamani's husband. |
| Rani Bahamani | Monica Sehgal | 2015-2016 | Queen of Taxila; Keechak's wife. |
| Amatya Rakshas / Bodheeshwara Thero | Amit Behl | 2015-2016 | Helena and Keechak's helper. |
| Nirjhara | Sonal Parihar | 2015 | Chanakya's spy who presented in court instead Dharma. |
| Kasturi | Praveen Kaur | 2015-2016 | Chanakya's spy who supported Dharma. She was killed by Sushim. |
| Daastan | Rumi Khan | 2015 | Noor's ex-lover who hands up with her to throne Siamak. |
| Uttar | Harsh Khurana | 2016 | Kondana's right hand who commits suicide. |
| Agnibahu | Anand Goradia | 2015-2016 | Keechak's treasure. |
| Virat | Mayank Gandhi | 2016 | Ashoka's protector |
Production and promotion
The set was erected in Karjat.[19] The show was produced by Contiloe Entertainment.[20] A team of at least 500 people worked on the series. Episodes were shot across Jaisalmer, Kerala, Mumbai's Film City and Karjat. A lightman died on the set in April 2015.[21]
Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat was promoted on the comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri in February 2015[22] A game app "Ashoka:The Game" was launched by Colors TV in April 2015.[23][24]
Awards
| Year | Award show | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Indian Telly Award | Best Child Actor (Siddhart Nigam) | Won[25] |
| Best Historical/Mythological Series | Nominated[26] | ||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Drama) (Sameer Dharmadhikari) | Nominated[26] | ||
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Drama) (Pallavi Subhash) | Nominated[26] | ||
| Gold Awards | Best Historical show | Won[27] | |
| Best Actor (Debut) (Siddhart Nigam) | Won | ||
| BIG Star Entertainment Awards | Most Entertaining Television Actor (Female) (Pallavi Subhash Shirke) | Nominated | |
| Most Entertaining Television Actor (Male) (Siddhart Nigam) | Nominated | ||
| Most Entertaining Television Fiction Show | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Gold Awards | Best Supporting Actor (Male) (Sameer Dharmadhikari) | Nominated[28] |
| Best Supporting Actor (Female) (Pallavi Subhash) | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Negative Role (Female) (Prinal Oberoi) | Nominated |
Critical reception
The Times of India praised Ashok Banker's reconstruction filled historical gaps and stated that they provide "interesting fictional turns" for the show.[29]
Bollywood Life reviewer, Letty Mariam Abraham, gave the show 3 out of 5 stars; praising the sets, visual effects and production value of the show. She further heaped praise on child prodigy Siddharth Nigam as "undoubtedly a brilliant actor"; stating that "his agile body makes him the perfect actor for the role." Abraham gave her final verdict as "the show looks promising but has a lot of scope for improvement. I'd recommend that people watch this historical drama for Siddharth Nigam and the special effects of the show."[30]
India.com reviewer, Prathamesh Jadhav, stated "going by the opening episode we must confess that this elaborate drama looks rather promising with its interesting tale." He further stated, "What we liked though is the visuals and the diligence that has been put in by the special effects and VFX team. The work is seriously commendable." He gave his final verdict as "going by what we have seen [in] it one must admit that the show looks promising with its actors, its sets and the details that have gone into making a tele-series of this nature."[31]
Additionally it has been known to imitate its style and fictional characters from Game of Thrones.
International broadcast
- In Myanmar, it airs under the title "ဘုန်းမီးနေလ မဟာအသောက" on 5 plus.
- In Cambodia, it airs under the title ព្រះបាទអសោក on Cambodian Television Network.[32]
- In Indonesia, it began airing under the title, Ashoka on 11 May 2015 on antv.[33]
- In Sri Lanka, it airs under the title, Adiraja Dharmashoka on TV Derana from 23 May 2015.[34]
- in Thailand, it airs under the title, อโศกมหาราช on Channel 3 Family
- in Vietnam it airs under the title, Ashoka Đại Đế on THVL1 at 12h00 trưa
- in Ghana under the title Ashoka Samrat on Joy Prime.
- in Kenya on KBC under the title Ashoka at 1830 hours.
- In South Africa, it began airing under the title, Emperor Ashoka in 2021 on glowtv at 19h00CAT.[35]
See also
References
- ^ "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat episodes". Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "'Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat': Manoj Joshi, aka Chanakya, Sacked or Quit". India West. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat: Story so far..." 6 October 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ More, Radhesh (26 January 2015). "'Authors shouldn't be salesmen'". Casting Head. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat: History comes alive on the small screen". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Ashoka to kill Siamak in Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat". Times of India. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "This is when Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat will go off air". Times of India. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Prinal Oberoi in Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ Coutinho, Natasha (9 December 2014). . The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ Tiwari, Vijaya (21 November 2014). "Sameer Dharmadhikari in Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "2015: TV shows to look forward to in the new year". The Times of India. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ Karan Shah (19 December 2014). "Siddharth Nigam, Sumit Kaul and Pallavi Subhash roped in for Ashoka". The Indian Express. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ Unnikrishnan, Chaya (4 October 2014). "A historical war: Siddharth Tewary and Abhimanyu Singh race to make serial on king Ashoka". DNA. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ . Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "'Chakravartin Ashok Samrat' - Colors rolls out its masterpiece". The New Indian Express. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "First look of much-awaited TV serial 'Chakravartin Ashok Samrat' launched". The Indian Express. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ Coutinho, Natasha (5 February 2015). . The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 13 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "'Siya Ke Ram' and 'Ashoka' to go off air". Times of India. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Simulating regality". Deccan Herald. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Nandini Sharma (2 February 2015). "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat Debuts on Colors Today! Here Is Why You Shouldn't Miss It | Business Insider India". Businessinsider.in. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ Tarannum, Asira (17 April 2015). "Lightman dies on the sets of TV show 'Ashoka'". Mid Day. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "Photos: Kapil Sharma's special guests this Maha Shivratri - The Indian Express". The Indian Express. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "Ashoka Android Game App". Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ "Bring out the brave king in you!". 7 April 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ "Indian Telly Awards 2015 Winners: Complete list of winners". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Nominations for Indian Telly Awards 2015 out; see who all have made the cut". India Today. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Sarkar, Prarthana (22 June 2015). "Zee Gold Awards 2015 Highlights, Complete Winners' List: 'Yeh Hai Mohabbatein' Bags Most Honours; Karan-Divyanka's Romance Steals the Show". International Business Times. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ A, Nagarathna (25 May 2016). "Gold Awards 2016 Nomination List: Divyanka Tripathi, Sriti Jha, Varun Kapoor & Others Nominated". FilmiBeat. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Dubey, Tulika (4 August 2015). "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ Mariam Abraham, Letty (4 February 2015). "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat TV review: Looks promising but has scope for improvement". Bollywoodlife.com. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ Jadhav, Prathamesh (2 February 2015). Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat makes an impressive debut on Colors: Read review. India.com. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ CTN TV Official Channel (3 March 2016). "ព្រះបាទអសោក - ASHOKA - CTN Drama - India Drama Promote Trailer 2016" – via YouTube.
- ^ "Ashoka". ANTV.
- ^ "Adiraja Dharmashoka". Derana 1K.
- ^ "Emperor Ashoka". Glowtv.[dead link]