Ruler of hearts: Shah Rukh Khan

Richard Gere and Sushmita Sen are out. Chandraprakash Dwivedi has a different cast in mind for his latest venture, Ashok. The film, which will have a budget ?double that of the biggest Bollywood masala?, will involve some of the top names of the industry, he promises.

Names, the director of Pinjar is not willing to reveal just yet. ?It is all fixed and we will be shooting before the rains,? Dwivedi told Metro from Mumbai.

The film, unlike Santosh Sivan?s Asoka, focuses on the emperor in the post-Kalinga phase. ?He is in his early 60s and the story is taken from the ancient Buddhist text, Divyavadan. My interest is a small part of Divyavadan, known as Kunalavadan. Kunal, the son of Ashok, and his wife Tishyarakshita are the other main characters of my film,? said Dwivedi, who has penned the script.

Time difference apart, Dwivedi takes pride in the authenticity his film will reflect. ?Asoka was probably made because Sivan was fascinated by the characters or wanted to create some fine cinematic images, but as far as history or religion goes I found the treatment disappointing,? said Dwivedi.

Research for his Ashok began many years ago when he was scanning ancient texts for material on Chanakya.

?In 2000, Popular Entertainment Limited offered me the chance to do Ashok with Nitin Desai as art director for television. But I realised that if I did Ashok it would have to be far, far bigger,? recalled Dwivedi. So all the while he was doing Pinjar, Ashok was ?disturbing me and the moment Pinjar was released I began scripting Ashok?, recounted Dwivedi.

Finding producers was a problem, he admitted, but ?I can say now that an all-Indian crew will make this giant film, complete with huge period sets, elephants, animation, etc. The film may well take a year-and-a-half to finish?.

And what message will Ashok bring? ?My primary concern in every film is entertainment but viewers are free to draw their own conclusions about the underlying message. The wars do not interest me. It is the mindset that develops afterwards, the depression and agony? it needed just one war to change everything. I feel it has a special relevance in these times when we have become so intolerant. We may give long speeches about secularism but we bicker with our neighbours and are hostile to people from other states and communities. The characters of Ashok will illustrate just how tolerant one can be,? concluded the director.

Back in time: Milind Gunaji and Jas Arora

Grand show

The biggest spectacle on Indian television is set to be unveiled on May 12 as STAR Plus airs the first episode of Prithviraj Chauhan ? Dharti Ka Veer Yodha. While Angad Bedi plays the title role, a host of other prominent names will support the dashing son of Bishen Singh Bedi.

Milind Gunaji will be seen playing Vijaypal, the king of Kannauj, and a dear friend of Someshvar, the King of Ajmer. Model-turned-actor Jas Arora plays Someshvar, the father of Prithviraj Chauhan.

Watch these seasoned actors in action in the first few episodes of the grand serial from the Sagars, starting May 12, every Friday to Sunday, on STAR Plus.