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.[8] 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[9] and Honeymoon.
Early life and family
From (L to R) Ravi Srivatsa, Shiva Rajkumar, Parvathamma Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar
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.[citation needed]
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".[15] 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."[16]
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.[19] 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.[20][21]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."[22] 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."[23]
Shiva Rajkumar made a cameo in his brother Puneeth's posthumous release James (2022), also dubbing for him in the film's end portions.[24] 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."[25] In his fourth collaboration with A. Harsha, and his 125th film, he starred in an eponymous role in the revenge drama Vedha.[26] Shiva Rajkumar's first release of 2023 came through a cameo as gangster Siddhantha in R. Chandru's Kabzaa.[27] 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).[28] In another cameo, he played Narasimha, which was well received by audiences.[29] The critic from The Hindu called it "excellent".[30] Shiva Rajkumar's role in another Tamil film, Captain Miller, was confirmed in December 2022,[31] and in an eponymous role in Bhairathi Ranagal, a prequel to Mufti, in May 2023.[32] His heist filmGhost was released in October 2023.[33] This was Shiva's first collaboration with Sreenivas.[34] In 2024, the producers had lauded him for giving consistent no. of movies every year which do minimum guarantee business at the box office[35][36] – making him the first actor in Kannada cinema to continue to play the lead role continuously even after the age of 60 years. His 2024 movie Bhairathi Ranagal was the first prequel of Kannada cinema.[37]
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.[43][44][45] 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.[46] 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.[47] In 2025, he criticized the trend of spreading inflated box-office collections and the practice of paying people for filling theatres and artifically inflating the numbers.[48]
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.[49]
Recipient of Kohinoor of South India honor by the British South India Council of Commerce and Visionnaire Entertainment – London in 2016[50]
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.[55]
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