Bollywood is again making a film about an ancient Indian emperor who was once blood-thirsty but then became a man of peace, despite the box office failure of an earlier movie about his life.

The makers of Emperor Ashok - The Great say the film was inspired by the message of non-violence and peace spread by the emperor after he realised the futility of war.

'I thought it would be good to make a film on the theme with so much conflict happening around the world,' director Rajkumar Santoshi said.

'It is a period film but the issues are relevant even today.'

Period films have had limited success in Bollywood and an earlier film, Asoka, starring superstar Shah Rukh Khan, had flopped.

But Santoshi is confident his film will shine: 'My film does not have any song-and-dance sequence. It is realistic in its depiction.'

The Indian emperor ruled for around four deacdes some 2,300 years ago.

After witnessing the bloodbath at a war he won, the ruthless militarist was transformed into a peaceful and benevolent ruler who adopted Buddhism and spread the religion in the region.

Filming of 'Emperor Ashok - The Great' is scheduled to start in April. Reuters