Nagarjuna, Ram Gopal Varma's cult classic Siva to be re-released in theatres; teaser to be attached with Coolie

Siva, a seminal coming-of-age film starring Nagarjuna, that first hit the screens in 1989, is re-releasing in theatres this year.

Ram Gopal Varma's Nagarjuna-starrer Siva is credited by many filmmakers and actors as an inspiration and widely considered one of the finest Indian films ever made. 36 years after it hit the screens, the cult-classic is releasing again. The actor recently took to social media to announce the re-release of his film in theatres.

Siva starred Nagarjuna and Raghuvaran in the lead roles.

Siva re-releases in theatres

As part of the 50-year celebrations of his production house, Annapurna Studios, Nagarjuna is re-releasing several of Annapurna's past hits, including Siva. On Friday, he took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Hello, my friends! We are bringing back the most iconic film SHIVA and for the first time in 4K DOLBY ATMOS sound.” Apart from Nagarjuna, the film also starred Amala and Raghuvaran.

Nagarjuna added that the teaser of the new 4K version will be attached with his upcoming film, Coolie, which stars Rajinikanth in the lead and releases on August 14. No release date for Siva has been announced yet.

Nagarjuna and RGV on Siva re-release

Excited about the re-release, Nagarjuna said in a statement, “Shiva was the film that gave me an iconic hero status, making my character truly unforgettable. The fact that it remains one of the most talked-about films even after 36 years motivated my brother Venkat Akkineni and me to plan its re-release in the grandest way possible. We felt we owed it to the audience who made it such a cult classic, and also to a new generation who may have only seen it on YouTube. So RGV, Venkat, and I decided to present it once again to audiences with an unprecedented DOLBY Atmos sound experience and 4K visuals.”

Director Ram Gopal Varma added, “Nagarjuna's and the producers' trust in me is what helped the film reach such great heights. It's unbelievable that even today, people remember every scene and character. Annapurna Studios' decision to re-release it has truly thrilled me. Although the original sound was highly appreciated, it was decided to redo it entirely to match today's standards. By using advanced AI technology, we have converted the original mono mix to Dolby Atmos. People might have seen Shiva before, but I promise no one has experienced it the way they will now, with its new sound.”

Siva was one of the biggest hits in Telugu cinema at the time of its release. Varma remade it in Hindi the following year as Shiva, with Nagarjuna reprising his role. The Hindi remake was a hit, too. Apart from its enormous box office success, 'Shiva' was also featured in the Indian Panorama mainstream section of the 13th IFFI (1990) and won three Nandi Awards: Best Director (Varma), Best First Film of a Director, and Best Dialogue Writer for Tanikella Bharani.