Nagarjuna’s iconic ‘Shiva’ to shake theatres once again

Hyderabad: The makers of director Ram Gopal Varma’s cult classic film, Shiva, featuring Nagarjuna Akkineni and Amala in the lead, have now announced that they are to re-release the film November 14 this year.

Actor Nagarjuna, who not only played the lead in the film but whose production house Annapurna Studios produced the superhit film, took to his X timeline to make the announcement.

Nagarjuna wrote, “On my dear father ANR’s birthday, I am pleased to announce the film that shook Indian cinema is coming back to shake the theatres again. @AnnapurnaStdios and @RGVzoomin’s PATH BREAKING FILM #SHIVA Grand Re-Release in theatres on NOVEMBER 14TH, 2025. Experience the cult classic #SHIVA4K with Dolby Atmos Sound on the big screens. #50YearsOfAnnapurna #ANRLivesOn @amalaakkineni1 @ilaiyaraaja @AnnapurnaStdios #SGopalReddy @adityamusic.”

The film, which was released in 1989, went on to emerge as a superhit and then a cult classic. While the Telugu version was called Shiva, the Tamil version of the film was called Udhayam. Interestingly, the Tamil version too went on to become a superhit film.

Director Ram Gopal Varma, who directed the film, responded to Nagarjuna’s announcement. Quoting Nagarjuna’s tweet, he wrote, “Hey @iamnagarjuna, It’s not a children’s film but coming back on Children’s Day will put children’s glee on a lot of faces.”

The film, which revolves around the titular character Shiva, was based on Ram Gopal Varma’s experiences when he was a student in an engineering college. The film, which was known as much for its action sequences as it was known for its songs, had music by Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja. Cinematography for the film was by S Gopala Reddy, and editing was by Sattibabu.

Apart from Nagarjuna and Amala, the film also featured Raghuvaran, Tanikella Bharani, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Murali Mohan, Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, Chakravarthy and Sai Chand among others.

IANS