I used to watch a TV serial Bharat Ek Khoj, it was based on a book written by Jawaharlal Nehru, the name of the book is "The Discovery of India". In that TV serial Ashoka was depicted as not so good looking, and Om Puri played the part of Emperor Ashoka. That TV serial is very authentic in it's depiction of historical characters, costumes, culture, society etc. in those times.

I searched for any evidence in the internet. There is a mention of a document called Ashokavadana, written in 1st century A.D.



Charles Sobhraj was a terror in Southeast Asia and South Asia in the 70s. Usually unsuspecting tourists used to be his victims, he is very similar to the Jackal in his exploits. He became famous after his daring prison escape just like in the movies. Kelly Dorji would be fit to play his role but Kelly is a small name in Bollywood. And as you know some big actors name is needed to pull off a movie.

Ashokavadana is one of the most authentic sources on Ashoka (alongside his own Edicts of Ashoka), so I'll take your word for it.

I'm sure Kelly Dorji would look the part, but what about his acting ability?

oh yeah i read about him on wiki! sanjay dutt would be excellent fir the role but they are gonna have to make him look slightly chaptay becoz Charles Shobraj is mixed with thai & english, i think. but thats easy to do because even i can do it.

again im going to have to advocate manoj bajpai for the role. its coz he's younger & Charles Shobraj went on his killing spree whilst in his 20's. manoj can still play guys in their 20's but sanjay... well no.

What does "chaptay" mean exactly? I have a slight idea, but don't know the exact meaning.

asian. as in oriental looking.

I know that, but I mean what did the word originally mean? Like how goray originally meant "fair", or how kalay originally meant "dark", etc.

EDIT:

Never mind, I just found out chaptay originally referred to a small nose.

I have only seen Kelly Dorji in cameo roles so have not much idea about his acting abilities. He is more famous as an ex-model and Lara Dutta's boyfriend. Here is Kelly Dorji's imdb profile.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1795256/



Chapta literally means flat.

Indian stars vie for glory at 'Bollywood Oscars'

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Hundreds of Indian stars prepared to sparkle Sunday at the "Bollywood Oscars," a glitzy awards ceremony expected to attract 600 million television viewers.

The gala event launched by the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) just eight years ago has become one of the biggest dates in the film industry calendar.

Celebrations began Friday with the premier of "Sarkar Raj" (Absolute Ruler), featuring newly-wed superstars Abhishek Bachchan and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, performing with his father Amitabh Bachchan.

The celebrity couple are up for Best Male and Best Female awards on Sunday for their roles in "Guru" -- a rags-to-riches story of an Indian businessman.

Vying for the coveted Best Picture award are "Guru," "Chak De India," "Jab We Met," "Om Shanti Om," "Life in a Metro" or "Partner."

At least 500 Bollywood names -- including Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Govinda -- have arrived in Bangkok to promote their unique brand of film-making outside India.

Bollywood is a novelty in Thailand, but police struggled to control huge crowds who turned up in force to see the stars attend the "Sarkar Raj" preview Friday.

The political thriller highlights the kind of movie that IIFA wants to show the world -- an Indian film with an international sensibility that goes beyond the traditional song-and-dance format.

The movie is a sequel to the 2005 film "Sarkar," considered a homage to the American classic "The Godfather," and is loosely based on the controversy around an Enron power plant built in India a decade ago.

Other stereotype-busting films previewed in the run-up to the awards included the sci-fi flick "Love Story 2050" and the action-packed thriller "Mission Istaanbul."

But filmmakers say Indian movies are not leaving music behind.

Although India is the world's biggest film-going nation, cinema tickets sell for a pittance and moviemakers need spin-off music revenue to offset production costs.

"Music is an integral part of it," said "Mission" director Apoorva Lakhia.

"We like our heroes or our action heroes to cry and dance. It's part of our culture and I think music is very important because it's a huge revenue as far as making the money back," he told AFP.

The Indian film industry was valued at 2.2 billion dollars last year, just a fraction of what Hollywood earns in a year, but organisers say that IIFA will help expand audiences around the globe.

They note that in the six months after the first awards show in London, Hindi cinema ticket sales grew 35 percent in Britain.

The gala itself has criss-crossed the planet since the inaugural ceremony in London, heading in past years to Amsterdam, South Africa's Sun City and Yorkshire in Britain.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ife89PqY7OKnhO0pUY9TxDhKJSNw