Shiva (film)

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Shiva(Telugu:శివ) (1989) is a Telugu movie starring Akkineni Nagarjuna and his future wife, Amala which deals with violence and student politics inside the college campus. The movie was written by Tanikella Bharani and directed by film-maker Ram Gopal Verma who made his debut with this film. Released on 5th October, 1989 and created box office history in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (dubbed as Udhayam). This film is considered as a path breaker for more than one reason. The cinematography and audiography of this film were appreciated by even common man who was not aware of those technicalities till then. Nagarjuna's career shot up to galactic levels with the screening of this film. Music by Ilayaraja helped maintain of tempo in the film.

However, this film has received the brickbats from some circles of society for its blatant depiction of violence by using horrific sound effects and visuals.

The movie, after its success in Tollywood, was remade in Hindi language retaining the principal star cast including Nagarjuna.

[edit] Synopsis

The film opens with a bunch of gangsters, led by Ganesh , waiting outside the (fictional) VAS college of Arts & Sciences. A college student JD (JD Chakravarthy) gestures to the goons and they proceed to savagely assault another student and his friends.

It turns out that JD is a student leader, a big-man-on-campus, who is the (unopposed) President of the Student Union at the college. He is also the lowest rung in a gang ladder that reaches through Ganesh, the local goon, to Bhavani (Raghuvaran). Bhavani uses this network to provide political (and criminal, as needed) muscle to the local politician Machiraju (Kota Srinivas Rao).

Shivkumar (Nagarjuna) is a new student at college. He joins a small group of friends including Malli (Shubalekha Sudhakar) and Asha (Amala). JD is known to cause petty troubles (such as leering at the girls and insulting the professors). He falls upon Shiva in a chance encounter. When he provokes Shiva, Shiva hits back. Further, Shiva chases JD across campus in plain sight and inflicts vicious punishment. JD is shocked as nobody has previously confronted him like this for fear of his gang connections.

This incident sparks two things. JD fetches Ganesh to sort out Shiva, and, Malli and the other students, now encouraged by Shiva's actions, implore Shiva to run for President at the next election. Shiva proposes that the more qualified but nerdy Naresh (Jagan) run instead. Ganesh first attempts to talk Shiva out of it. But Shiva tells him off, claiming that college matters are to be kept within the campus community and that lowly gangsters from outside need not interfere.

When Ganesh attempts to use force, Shiva beats him back too. The matter comes before Bhavani. Bhavani is mildly annoyed, but he studies Shiva as a potential replacement for JD. At his behest, Naresh is assaulted and rendered unable to run. At this point, Shiva accepts the nomination and decides to run.

Meanwhile, Bhavani has other troubles. He refuses to side with a worker's union leader Krishna Reddy. Krishna Reddy takes his plight to Shiva; Shiva agrees to help in return for muscle; and Krishna Reddy provides this by calling upon the workers. Around this time, Asha expresses a romantic interest in Shiva. The friendship progresses and they eventually marry.

The stage is now set. Bhavani launches a set of sniper attacks on those close to Shiva. Shiva retaliates in kind and takes out many of Bhavani's leaders. Machiraju notices that Shiva is launching a fitting response to Bhavani and decides to stop supporting Bhavani. Angered, humiliated and defeated, Bhavani strikes Shiva's home. This launches a veritable bloodbath with Shiva going straight for Bhavani and the root of the criminal nexus, leading to a chilling and grisly climax.

[edit] Notes

This film was acclaimed by critics. It portrays gang violence with unprecedented gore and detail. (A student slamming his head against an Ambassador car fender, noted for its rugged strength, is shown with a semi-metallic thunk and commensurate blood flow, for example.) Shiva also featured the first use of the Steadicam, operated by a specially trained photographer, in Hindi films. It provides a deep and immersive experience of the chase (when Shiva chases JD across campus, and when he protects his niece) and action sequences. These technical effects, coupled with slick editing and terse dialogue, make for a realistic and hard-hitting portrayal of campus life, the gangster network and the political nexus.

[edit] Songs

[edit] External links

• Shiva at the Internet Movie Database