Nagarjuna on revisiting ‘Shiva’ and choosing ‘King100’

Nagarjuna Akkineni and Ram Gopal Varma’s Shiva (1989) remains a landmark in Telugu cinema. The film, which introduced RGV as a director, is now being re-released in stunning 4K resolution with Dolby Atmos sound.

Ahead of its release, the team organized a special screening for the media, where Nagarjuna and Ram Gopal Varma shared nostalgic insights about the making of the cult classic.

Speaking about the film’s origin, RGV revealed that Shiva was inspired by Bruce Lee’s Return of the Dragon.

“In that film, Bruce Lee arrives in Rome and fights the goons troubling a restaurant. I just replaced the restaurant setting with a college and added my own experiences. It was probably the fastest one-line story I ever wrote,” RGV explained.

When asked how it felt to revisit “Shiva” after all these years, Nagarjuna said, “More than rewatching the film, it was Ramu’s note that moved me. He wrote beautifully about the true qualities of the character Shiva. After reading it, I felt inspired to take up roles that reflect such depth and strength.”

Addressing questions about his upcoming milestone project King100 and why he chose to collaborate with a young director, Nagarjuna smiled and said, “There’s no big thought process. I simply go with what I like. I don’t overthink it.”