Ram Gopal Varma looks back at Shiva ahead of its re-release, "Shiva represents the ideal of self-respect, to that extent he's almost Gandhian"
Ram Gopal Varma’s iconic directorial debut Shiva is all set to re-release on November 14. Starring Nagarjuna in the lead, the film was appreciated for its honest and poignant portrayal about the underworld when it had released 35 years ago in 1990. RGV looked back at Shiva in an interview with us. Your first film Shiva is being re-released on November 14? After 36 years, I finally understood the character of Shiva. As a 26-year-old, I wrote the character of Shiva out of instinct and now at 62, as I kept on watching it to prepare it for its re-release, I now understand it from maturity. And what do you understand about Shiva? Shiva is the story of a man who has immense self-respect, and his courage comes from the principles he stands for. He would rather die than bow down to threats and intimidation. To him, dignity is not a virtue… it is the hallmark of existence itself. Shiva is not loud, not emotional, and not heroic in the conventional sense. His power lies in his silence, and h...