Shiva

I get nostalgic when I recollect standing amidst the crowd during the shooting of "Shiva" (Telugu version). The very director marked his entry into Indian Cinema with this outing. College life integrates with college politics, then an untrodden terrain and an underlying love story (then a must-have ingredient in any movie) makes up a product called "Shiva".

Nag:: Fresh from the success of "Gitanjali" he was awesome in the role of "Shiva". Communicated more with this intense eyes than dialogues.

Amala:: Good chemistry and I think they were dating during the making of this movie.

Raghuvaran:: Showcased "Pacino meets De Niro" rolled into one in the garb of Bhavani. Left a tremendous impact.

Kota:: Did a fantastic job as the politician. In Hindi it was essayed by Paresh Rawal, equally well.

Then not a rebellion RGV incorporated a few songs into the storyline composed by maestro Illayaraja.

Needless to say the first time director became the talk of the town. Prominent was signature style now, the long-drawn shots, hand-held camera and intense background music which elevated visual experience. Of course, the violence was raw and gritty. The ending is grim (and slightly amended in the Hindi version).

Shiva was released in 1989 in Telugu and 1990 in Hindi. Even now if you were to watch it you can still feel the impact as it did way back then.

Shiva was a RGV cult classic when it initially came out. Shot in real locations and diverging from the normal Bollywood plotlines, it was a completely different experience in 1990 and left. A mark on you and the change the industry for ever.

However in 2024, with the advent of OTT and excellent plotlines, watching this was an underwhelming experience even after skipping all the songs.

Yes songs. Just like a typical Bollywood potboiler completely tacky and out of place. Nagarjuna's acting leaves much to be desired, though Amala is beautiful and fantastic. Overall the political - student-union nexus is brilliantly explored and Shivas quest for revenge and dominance is well thought out. I would have given it 9 stars in 1990, but this move does not stand the test of time.

They don't make films like this anymore!

You can watch this movie many times you will never be bored. Raghuvaran and Nagarjuna excel in their roles.

Most of the films being released now whether Tamil, Telugu or Hindi are to unrealistic, like Rowdy Rathore, Wanted and others, that they just really miss the point regarding the social issues. Action sequences are also unrealistic.

This film is raw, 95% real, to the point and hard hitting just like action films should be.

RGV since this movie has not ever matched the quality of this work again (barring maybe Satya).

We can't deny that RGV is one of those directors who took part in changing the typical Bollywood zone. Don't know about now, but RGV was one of the Best directors in his earliest times. So, today Recommending his first directorial feature, Shiva.

Nagarjuna was so calm and cool in this film. And Raghuvaran was fully villainous. It's one of the earliest good action drama film.

After watching the film you'll realise many films have taken inspiration from this film. Though the film is bit lengthy, you'll not get bored at any point because of the tight screenplay.

In my opinion this is one of the best action entertainer still now.

Available on Youtube, Amazon Prime Video, Airtel Xtream & Mubi.

© MandalBros.

Shiva is definitely one of the top class action entertainer of its time. For the beginners it was the first time audience saw the use of bike chain as a potential weapon, henceforth followed by goons both in real life and films as well. Shiva gave an absolutely new dimension to action films in India with its fluid packed stunts (something which were unheard of at that time). Such was its intensity that the movie ran jam packed for many months not only in Telugu, but also Tamil and Hindi as well. The film still has cult status down south even today as it saw the rise of one of the Superstars of South film industry in Akkineni Nagarjuna.