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Every film industry has a set of works that changed the course of its journey and cinematic landscape for the better. These movies not only redefined the way cinema is viewed in their respective languages and shattered existing formulas, but also inspired contemporary directors of the era and many aspiring filmmakers dreaming of venturing into tinseltown one day, thus becoming landmark works. In the Telugu film industry, Ram Gopal Varma’s (popularly known as RGV) directorial debut, Shiva (1989), is one such movie that also sent shockwaves across the country, thanks to its aesthetics that stood apart from everything that Tollywood produced until then.
But what made Shiva, the Shiva, and how does it remain a benchmark in Telugu cinema even after three decades? “As I was trying to get it ready for the re-release, I noticed something. Although people keep talking about the impact and influence it has had on the masses — and I don’t think there’s any other movie about which there have been so many discussions in Telugu cinema — rarely has anyone actually made something like Shiva. It’s very surprising. I can think of 100 versions of The Godfather (1972), but I can’t remember a single attempt to recreate Shiva,” RGV shares during an exclusive interview with SCREEN.
Opening up about the movie’s protagonist, Shiva, played by Nagarjuna, he says, “The character was designed as a self-respecting man, with his courage coming from his sense of principles and justice. That is technically the true definition of a hero. These days, most heroes only have swagger. Some are a little odd or weird. But no one, including me, attempted to create another hero like Shiva, whose strength stemmed from dignity.”
Delving deeper into its script, RGV shares, “Many of the lines in Shiva were actually taken from real life. Back then, most movies had a lot of dialogues; the characters used to keep talking for pages. Then suddenly came Shiva, where many often spoke in monosyllables. I think that was also the first time colloquial language was used in cinema. Most dialogues sound as if they are coming from within the characters, without giving the impression that the actors are reciting the lines after memorising them. I think a combination of all those elements created the impact. The overemphasis of various elements, including dialogues, using artificial crafting that we often see these days, takes away the relatability and reality of the situation. I did not do that in Shiva.”
As much as Shiva was a Nagarjuna and Amala film, it also belonged to Raghuvaran, who played the menacing antagonist, Bhavani. Mentioning that he couldn’t think of any other actor but him for the character at that time, despite having watched only one Raghuvaran film before that, RGV says, “He had that intensity, those piercing eyes, a certain kind of personality, and a lanky figure. As soon as he walked in, he could take over the room with his screen presence. The traits of Bhavani were loosely inspired by Omar Sharif’s character from Mackenna’s Gold (1969) and those of some Hindi film villains of the era. Above all that, Raghuvaran had a terrific bass voice.”
Following its release, Shiva became such a big hit and phenomenon that RGV himself remade it in Hindi under the same title, with the central trio of stars reprising their respective characters. However, the director did not create a shot-for-shot remake and made a few changes in the Hindi version. For instance, while the Telugu version featured Shiva’s niece, Keerthi, being murdered by Bhavani towards the end, in the Hindi edition, Asha (Amala) became the scapegoat.
Upon enquiring what prompted him to make this creative decision, RGV says, “I always felt there was something wrong with killing Keerthi, particularly because the character was absent for about an hour before she’s kidnapped. It felt like we conveniently got a character out of the blue and killed her off to give a pre-run to the climax. On the other hand, since Asha is present throughout and a love story is intertwined with that, if she is the victim, it will offer more emotional resonance in the climax. Those who saw only the Hindi version felt the climax was perfect. But those who saw the Telugu version first didn’t like the change. To date, I don’t know which one is the better choice. But when I shared the change and my reasoning behind it with Nagarjuna and the producers, they all agreed to it. It wasn’t like I went against anybody.”
At the same time, Shiva’s fate was portrayed differently in the two movies. In the Telugu version, he reunited with his loved one (Asha) after killing Bhavani, giving the character a sense of hope and subtly implying that his life would continue afterwards. In contrast, the director chose a completely different visual approach for the Hindi version. There, Shiva was shown sitting at the edge of an elevator shaft after eliminating Bhavani. It was a low-angle shot similar to his intro. However, the shot visually represented him being “lonely at the top.” So, why did Shiva’s story end in such contrasting ways in the two films?
“Although he killed Bhavani, with Asha’s death, he also suffers an incredible loss. So the man’s broken down. In spite of taking revenge and giving punishment to Bhavani, he has also lost. So I thought ending it on a tragic note was the right thing. On the other hand, in Telugu, since Asha was alive, it led to a happy ending,” he concludes.
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