Shiva Rajkumar

Shiva Rajkumar (born Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy; 12 July 1962) is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he has worked in over 125 films in Kannada and has received several awards, including four Karnataka State Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South and six South Indian International Movie Awards.
Shiva Rajkumar is the eldest son of matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar. He is also fondly known as Shivanna by his fans. He made his onscreen debut with Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974) as a child artiste. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Shiva Rajkumar began his film career at the age of 24 by starring in the leading role in his mother's production Anand (1986), which was a critical and commercial success. His performance in Anand which fetched him the Cinema Express Award for Best Actor. He then followed it up with Ratha Sapthami (1986) and Manamecchida Hudugi (1987), both of which were commercially successful, earning him the nickname of Hat-trick Hero, coined by the media and his fans. He then appeared in several successful films in the late 1980s with the romantic-thriller film Samyuktha (1988), the comedy-thriller Inspector Vikram (1988), the action-drama film Ranaranga (1988) and the comedy Aasegobba Meesegobba (1988).
Shiva Rajkumar achieved further critical and commercial success for his films in the 1990s, including his performances in the cult gangster-drama film Om (1995), which catapulted him into superstardom in Karnataka and won him his first Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Award for Best Actor and, the romantic dramas Janumada Jodi (1996) and Nammoora Mandara Hoove (1996), the action drama Simhada Mari (1997), the biographical film Bhoomi Thayiya Chochchala Maga (1998), the action-thriller film A. K. 47 (1999) and the romantic drama film Hrudaya Hrudaya (1999), which won him his second Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor. His acclaimed performances as the film director Manoj in Nammoora Mandara Hoove and the vigilante Raam in A. K. 47 won him his second and third Filmfare Award for Best Actor respectively.
Anand, Ratha Sapthami (1986), Om (1995), Janumada Jodi, Nammoora Mandara Hoove, A. K. 47, Jogi, Bhajarangi, Mufti, Shivalinga and Tagaru which became milestones in the Kannada film industry and made records at the box office. In 2010, he made his television debut with the talk show Naaniruvude Nimagagi, aired on Zee Kannada. He made his first film appearances outside of Kannada cinema through the Telugu film Gautamiputra Satakarni (2017) and the Tamil film Jailer (2023) in cameo appearances. He produced a TV serial – Manasa Sarovara. He was also the co-producer of two web series – Hate You Romeo and Honeymoon.
Shiva Rajkumar was born in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, to actor Rajkumar and film producer Parvathamma as the first of five children. His two brothers are Raghavendra, a film producer and actor Puneeth. He did his schooling in T. Nagar, Chennai and then studied at the New College, Chennai.
Shiva Rajkumar joined an acting school in Chennai after completing his graduation from Madras University in 1983. After training in Kuchipudi dance form under Vempetti Chinni Sathyam in Chennai during his college days, he made his entry into the Kannada film industry with Anand.
Shiva Rajkumar started his acting career with the film Anand in 1986 Before that, he had appeared as a child artist in a small role in the 1974 movie Sri Srinivasa Kalyana. In his career spanning over 36 years, he played a variety of roles. The most notable movies of his career are Janumada Jodi, Jogi, Anand, Ratha Sapthami, Nammoora Mandara Hoove, Om and Chigurida Kanasu. He acted in Sugreeva, which was shot in 18 hours. His Om, directed by Upendra, set a trend for gangster movies in Kannada and other film industries in India. It continues to be shown even to this day.
In Bhoomi Thayiya Chochchala Maga (1998), Shiva Rajkumar played Karna, a friend of legislator Bharath Kumar, played by Ramesh Aravind, out on a mission to achieve the latter's unfulfilled goal of having a dam constructed in a village. His performance received praise; Srikanth Srinivasa of Deccan Herald called it his "best... till date". Srinivasa also praised Shiva Rajkumar for his performance in Don (2003), where he played a lawyer-turned-serial-killer, and wrote, "Shivanna excels in his role as the don. He has put in a spirited yet collected and controlled performance."
His film Cheluveye Ninne Nodalu was shot at the seven wonders of the world. His 100th movie, Jogayya, is the sequel to his blockbuster Jogi.
In his last release of 2017, Shiva Rajkumar starred as mobster Bhairathi Ranagal in the crime drama, Mufti. The film was critically acclaimed and commercially successful. In his second collaboration with director Duniya Suri, Shiva Rajkumar played a cop that takes on the underworld in the latter's Tagaru (2018). The film proved to be another success and is seen as a landmark in his career. The Hindu called it "one of the biggest hits" of his career, and "... [t]his happens to be one of Shivanna's most mature performances." His only other release of 2018, Prem's The Villain, was not received well and a critic wrote, "[Shiva] expectedly, doesn’t disappoint but he is let down by a weak role."
Shiva Rajkumar made a cameo in his brother Puneeth's posthumous release James (2022), also dubbing for him in the film's end portions. In Vijay Milton's Bairagee, an adaptation of his Kadugu (2017), he plays Shivappa, a folk artist specialising in pulivesha, who gets entangled in the politics of the region. A critic wrote, "Shivarajkumar convincingly pulls off the role of a pulivesha artist and gives a stellar all-around performance. Shivanna takes us back to the classic characters that he played in films like Om, Jogi, and Kaddipudi." In his fourth collaboration with A. Harsha, and his 125th film, he starred in an eponymous role in the revenge drama Vedha. Shiva Rajkumar's first release of 2023 came through a cameo as gangster Siddhantha in R. Chandru's Kabzaa. The year marked his debut in Tamil cinema, with his next release coming in the Rajinikanth-starrer, Nelson Dilipkumar's action-comedy titled Jailer (2023). In another cameo, he played Narasimha, which was well received by audiences. The critic from The Hindu called it "excellent". Shiva Rajkumar's role in another Tamil film, Captain Miller, was confirmed in December 2022, and in an eponymous role in Bhairathi Ranagal, a prequel to Mufti, in May 2023. His heist film Ghost was released in October 2023. This was Shiva's first collaboration with Sreenivas. In 2024, producers had lauded him for giving consistent no. of movies every year which do minimum guarantee business at the box office – making him the first actor in Kannada cinema to continue to play lead role continuously even after the age of 60 years.
Shiva Rajkumar is married to Geeta, the daughter of the former Chief Minister of Karnataka Sarekoppa Bangarappa. The couple have two daughters: Niveditha and Nirupama.
He was the brand ambassador of Royal Challengers Bangalore for their 11th Season of Indian Premier League and has now been appointed as the brand ambassador for Nandini milk products. He was the second Kannada actor to buy Maruti 800 when it was launched in 1983.
Shiva Rajkumar opposed the proposal of voice dubbed movies releasing in the Kannada film industry. He openly criticized the need for voice dubbed movies in the Indian film industry. However, once the Supreme Court gave its final verdict against the ban on dubbed movies, he announced that he would no longer oppose dubbing. He went on to say that if that is what the audience wants, he is not the one to oppose it. In 2003, he also gave a statement that he would not act in any remake movies. Since then, he has appeared in only 4 remakes out of more than 60 releases in lead roles over a period of 20 years.
Shiva Rajkumar won four Filmfare and four State awards in the best actor category. He has also won numerous Cine-Express, Sirigannada and ETV awards. He lent his name for creating awareness for social causes and charity. On his birthday, "Shivarajkumar Suvarana Mahotsava Abhinandana Samithi" was formed for charity.