After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Shiva Rajkumar began his film career at the age of 24 by starring in the leading role in his mother's production Anand (1986), which was a critical and commercial success.

He then followed it up with Ratha Sapthami (1986) and Manamecchida Hudugi (1987), both of which were commercially successful, earning him the nickname of Hat-trick Hero, coined by the media and his fans.

His acclaimed performances as the film director Manoj in Nammoora Mandara Hoove and the vigilante Raam in A. K. 47 won him his second and third Filmfare Award for Best Actor respectively.

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.

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.

The most notable movies of his career are Janumada Jodi, Jogi, Anand, Ratha Sapthami, Nammoora Mandara Hoove, Om and Chigurida Kanasu.

His Om, directed by Upendra, set a trend for gangster movies in Kannada and other film industries in India.

[18] In his second collaboration with director Duniya Suri, Shiva Rajkumar played a cop that takes on the underworld in the latter's Tagaru (2018).

"[21] 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.

"[22] Shiva Rajkumar made a cameo in his brother Puneeth's posthumous release James (2022), also dubbing for him in the film's end portions.

[23] 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.

[26] 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).