Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy (born 12 July 1962) known by his screen name Shiva Rajkumar, is an Indian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

, producer and

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a " television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garne ...

, predominantly works in

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' direct ...

.25 years of Shivaraj Kumar!
. Cinecurry.com (3 February 2011). Retrieved on 29 March 2013. He is the eldest son of legendary actor & Kannada matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar. In a career spanning over three decades, Shiva has worked in over 120 films. He has won

Karnataka State Film Awards Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

SIIMA South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to apprec ...

awards and other recognitions for his performances onscreen. After graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in Chemistry, Shiva made his debut screen appearance in

Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931), commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with hav ...

's '' Anand'' (1986), which fetched him the Cinema Express Award for Best Actor. His first three films, ''Anand'', ''

Ratha Sapthami ''Ratha Sapthami'' is a 1986 Indian Kannada-language romantic musical film directed by M. S. Rajashekar and produced by S. A. Govindaraj. It stars Shiva Rajkumar in his second venture after '' Anand''. Debutant actress Asha Rani and playwrig ...

'' (1986) and ''

Manamecchida Hudugi ''Manamecchida Hudugi'' ( kn, ಮನಮೆಚ್ಚಿದ ಹುಡುಗಿ) is a 1987 Indian Kannada film directed by M. S. Rajashekar starring Shiva Rajkumar, Sudharani and Sundar Krishna Urs in the lead roles. The film was produced by S. A ...

'' (1987) were all highly successful, earning him the title ''Hat-trick Hero'' coined by the media and his fans. Fondly known as Shivanna, he has worked in the film industry for over 34 years, featuring in films such as '' Anand'', ''

'' (1986), '' Om'' (1995), ''

Janumada Jodi ''Janumada Jodi'' is a 1996 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by T. S. Nagabharana and written by Baraguru Ramachandrappa, based on Pannalal Patel's 1941 Gujarati novel '' Malela Jeev''. The film was scripted by T. S. Naga ...

'', '' Nammoora Mandara Hoove'', '' A. K. 47'', '' Jogi'', ''

Bhajarangi ''Bhajarangi'' is a 2013 Indian Kannada-language fantasy action film starring Shiva Rajkumar and Aindrita Ray. Directed by choreographer-turned-director Harsha, the film was released on 12 December 2013 and received positive response from cr ...

'', ''

Mufti A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (''fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important role ...

'', ''

Shivalinga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...

'' and ''

Tagaru ''Tagaru'' () is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film directed by Duniya Soori and produced by K. P. Srikanth. It features Shiva Rajkumar, Bhavana and Manvitha in the lead roles along with Dhananjay, Vasishta N. Simha and Dev ...

'' which became milestones in the Kannada film industry and made records at the box office. In 2010, made his television debut with the talk show ''Naaniruvude Nimagagi'', aired on

Zee Kannada Zee Kannada is an Indian Kannada pay television GEC that was launched in the year 2006 and owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It is also being as the first mainstream satellite channel in Kannada. History Zee Kannada was launched in 2006 ...

. He will make his first film appearance outside of Kannada cinema through the Tamil film ''

Jailer A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...

'' (2023). Shivanna produced a TV serial - ''Manasa Sarovara''. He was also the co-producer of two

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...

- ''Hate You Romeo'' (which was shot in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

) and ''

Honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

''.

Early life and family

Shiva Rajkumar was born in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

(now Chennai),

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

, to actor Rajkumar and film producer Parvathamma as the first of five children. His two brothers are

Raghavendra Raghavendra Tirtha () (1595 – 1671) was a Hindu scholar, theologian and saint. He was also known as Sudha Parimalacharya (). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha, interpretation of the ...

, a film producer and actor Puneeth. Shiva did his schooling in T. Nagar,

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and then studied at the

New College, Chennai The New College ( ta, புதுக்கல்லூரி) is an institution of higher education in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Established in 1951, the institution is one of the affiliated colleges of the University of Madras, with autonomous statu ...

. On the insistence of film director K. Balachander, Shiva joined an acting school in Chennai after completing his graduation from Madras University in 1983. After training in

Kuchipudi Kuchipudi () ( Telugu: ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sa ...

dance form under Vempetti Chinni Sathyam in Chennai during his college days, he made his entry into the Kannada film industry with '' Anand''.

Acting career

Shiva 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 ''Sri Srinivasa Kalyana'' (), is 1974 Kannada-language Hindu mythological film directed by Vijay. The film which is based on lord Venkateswara, stars Rajkumar, B. Saroja Devi and Manjula. It also featured the first screen appearances of f ...

''. In his career spanning over 36 years, he acted in a variety of roles. The most notable movies of his career are ''

'', '' Jogi'', '' Anand'', ''

'', '' Nammoora Mandara Hoove'', '' Om'' and ''

Chigurida Kanasu ''Chigurida Kanasu'' () is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language film directed by T. S. Nagabharana and starring Shiva Rajkumar, Anant Nag, Vidhya Venkatesh, Rekha Unnikrishnan and Avinash. It is based on the 1951 novel of the same name by legendary K ...

''. He acted in '' Sugreeva'', which was shot in 18 hours. His ''Om'', directed by

Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born subs ...

, set a trend of gangster movies in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

and other film industries in India. It continues to be shown even to this day. In ''

Bhoomi Thayiya Chochchala Maga ''Bhoomi Thayiya Chochchala Maga'' () is a 1998 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed and written by Rajendra Singh Babu. It features Shiva Rajkumar and Ramesh Aravind along with Vijayalakshmi and Shilpa in other pivotal roles. The film ...

'' (1998), Shiva played Karna, a friend of legislator Bharath Kumar (played by

Ramesh Aravind Ramesh Aravind is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada films and television. In a career of over 34 years, Aravind has been appeared in over 140 films including several Tamil and T ...

), 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 ''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Print ...

'' called it his "best... till date". Srinivasa also praised Shiva 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 ''Cheluveye Ninne Nodalu'' is a 2010 Indian Kannada-language film written and directed by D. P. Raghuram. It stars Shiva Rajkumar and Sonal Chauhan. The film was notable in that it had scenes shot in the seven wonders of the world. Cast * Shiva ...

'' was shot at the 7 wonders of the world. His 100th movie, ''

Jogayya ''Jogayya'' is a 2011 Indian Kannada-language action drama film written and directed by Prem. starring Shiva Rajkumar in his 102nd film. It was produced under the banner of Prem Pictures. Rakshita Prem, who is married to the director Prem, is ...

'', is the sequel to his blockbuster '' Jogi''. ''

'' (2013) was a box-office success, and went on to run for more than 100 days. The film was released in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It was released in 212 theatres in the state of Karnataka alone.

Personal life

Shiva is married to Geeta, the daughter of the former

Chief Minister of Karnataka The Chief minister (India), chief minister of Karnataka, formerly known as the chief minister of Mysore, is the Head of government, chief executive officer of the Government of Karnataka, government of the India, Indian state of Karnataka. As pe ...

Sarekoppa Bangarappa Sarekoppa Bangarappa (26 October 1933 – 26 December 2011) was an Indian politician who was the 12th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1990 to 1992. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Karnataka between 1967 and 1996, befo ...

. The couple have two daughters: Niveditha and Nirupama.

In media

He was the

brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person engaged by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embo ...

Royal Challengers Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore (often abbreviated as RCB) are a franchise cricket team based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was founded in 2008 by United Spirits and named after the company's liquor ...

for their 11th Season of

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...

. He was the second Kannada actor to buy Maruti 800 when it was launched in 1983 .

Statement about dubbing

Shiva opposed the proposal of voice dubbed movies releasing in the

Kannada film industry Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...

. He openly criticized the need for voice dubbed movies in the

Indian film industry The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

.Shivarajkumar comes out against dubbing
thehindu.com (25 January 2014). Retrieved on 30 July 2014.Dubbing issue has Sudeep and Shivarajkumar in a war of words
timesofindia.com (29 January 2014). Retrieved on 30 July 2014.Kannada Film Industry in Crisis over Dubbing Issue
ibtimes.co.in (27 January 2014). Retrieved on 30 July 2014. 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.

Filmography

Awards and honours

Shiva has won four Film fare and four state awards in the best actor category. He has also won numerous Cine-Express, Sirigannada and ETV awards. He has lent his name for creating awareness for social causes and charity. On his birthday, "Shivarajkumar Suvarana Mahotsava Abhinandana Samithi" was formed for charity. * Recipient of ''Kohinoor of South India'' honor by the British South India Council of Commerce and Visionnaire Entertainment - London in 2016 * Recipient of

NTR National Award The NTR National Award is an annual award presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Cinema of India. The NTR National Award is an honorary Nandi Award in the honou ...

for 2011

Honorary awards

* Honorary doctorate from Vijayanagara Sri Krishnadevaraya University of Bellary (2014). *

Award for Social Responsibility (2012) * 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. * He received Cinema Express Award for his debut movie

Anand (1986 film) ''Anand'' is a 1986 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Singeetham Srinivasa Rao. It stars Shiva Rajkumar and Sudha Rani with both making their debuts. The film went on to be a huge success running for 38 weeks. Shiva Rajkumar is introdu ...

Karnataka State Awards

Filmfare

South Indian International Movie Awards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shiva Rajkumar Living people Male actors in Kannada cinema Kannada male actors Male actors in Telugu cinema Indian male film actors 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors University of Madras alumni Kannada playback singers Filmfare Awards South winners M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute alumni Male actors from Chennai South Indian International Movie Awards winners 1962 births Rajkumar family