picturised at Bhedaghat and Panchmarhi in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh amidst the Narmada River. The film is also known for using minimal special effects. While Lagaan was made at considerable expense, Asoka had only a moderate budget. Sivan says he didn't want any special effects, and no digitally augmented crowds. Priyanka Chopra turned down the offer to appear in a song in the film. Soundtrack The songs of the movie were composed by Anu Malik. Initially, A. R. Rahman was signed in to compose the film's music, but for reasons unknown, he opted out. Malik stepped in to compose the songs, while Sandeep Chowta was brought on board to for the background score. Gulzar wrote the lyrics for five songs, while one song was written by Anand Bakshi ("San Sanana"). The soundtrack was very successful and according to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 15,00,000 units sold, the album was the year's one of the highest-selling. Hindi Track listing Tamil tracklisting Reception Box office India It opened on 26 October 2001, across 235 screens, and earned nett on its opening day. It grossed nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of nett. The film earned a total of nett. It is the 13th-highest-grossing film of 2001 in India. International It had an opening weekend of $800,000 (3.84 crore) and went on to gross $1.07 million (5.13 crore) in its first week. The film earned a total of $1.8 million (8.64 crore) at the end of its theatrical run. Overseas, It is the 4th-highest-grossing film of 2001. Critical reception Aśoka was critically acclaimed upon release. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called the film "a big, brash and deeply enjoyable Bollywood epic". He stated, "This movie's narrative gusto, its intricate, indirect eroticism – no sex, or even kissing – its lavish musical numbers and its sheer self-belief are a treat." The Sunday Times said, "it is sexy without one kiss and savage without indulging in gore and deserves to be this year's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". Neil Smith described the film; "with elements of both Gandhi (1982) and Braveheart (1995), Asoka is a big, sprawling epic that looks every rupee it took to bring it to the screen." However, BBCs Santosh Sinha noted, "It is at this point in the film [when the prince go into hiding as per the request of the mother Queen] that Asoka