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.[8]
Acting career
Shiva Rajkumar started his acting career with the film Anand in 1986 [8] Before that, he had appeared as a child artist in a small role in the 1974 movie Sri Srinivasa Kalyana.[13][14] 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.[8] 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.[15]
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".[16] 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."[17]
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.[20] 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.[21][22]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."[23] 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."[24]
Shiva Rajkumar made a cameo in his brother Puneeth's posthumous release James (2022), also dubbing for him in the film's end portions.[25] 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."[26] In his fourth collaboration with A. Harsha, and his 125th film, he starred in an eponymous role in the revenge drama Vedha.[27] Shiva Rajkumar's first release of 2023 came through a cameo as gangster Siddhantha in R. Chandru's Kabzaa.[28] 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).[29] In another cameo, he played Narasimha, which was well received by audiences.[30] The critic from The Hindu called it "excellent".[31] Shiva Rajkumar's role in another Tamil film, Captain Miller, was confirmed in December 2022,[32] and in an eponymous role in Bhairathi Ranagal, a prequel to Mufti, in May 2023.[33] His heist filmGhost was released in October of 2023.[34] This was Rajkumar's first collaboration with Sreenivas.[35]
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.[40][41][42] 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.[43] 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.[44]
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.[45]
Recipient of Kohinoor of South India honor by the British South India Council of Commerce and Visionnaire Entertainment - London in 2016 [46]
The residents of Manyata Residency in Bangalore named the circle leading to his house as Dr. Shiva Rajkumar Circle on the occasion of his 60th birthday.[51]
