Siva (also spelt Shiva) is a 1989 Indian Telugu-language crime action film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and produced by Akkineni Venkat and Yarlagadda Surendra under Annapurna Studios and SS Creations.

The film, which marks the directorial debut of Ram Gopal Varma, explores the concepts of student exploitation by anti-social elements and the impact of crowd psychology.

Produced on a budget of ₹75 lakh, Siva was released on 5 October 1989 to critical acclaim, primarily for its technology and sound design.

Varma remade the film in Hindi with the same name with Nagarjuna and Amala reprising their roles and performed well at the box office.

It was credited with the introduction of steadicam and new sound recording techniques in Telugu cinema, encouraging filmmakers to explore a variety of themes and make experimental films.

Varma remade the film in Hindi with the same name with Nagarjuna and Amala reprising their roles and performed well at the box office.

D", a troublemaker feared among the students and faculty, happens to be the lowest rung on a gang ladder reaching from the gangster Ganesh to Bhavani, a local crime boss.

Sensing a risk to Sarath's family after an attempt on Keerthi's life, Siva leaves their house and moves into his friend Chinna's hostel.

He approached Tanikella Bharani to write the dialogues after observing his work in Ladies Tailor (1985) and Sri Kanaka Mahalakshmi Recording Dance Troupe (1987).

[3] Producer Akkineni Venkat made a cameo appearance as one of Bhavani's clients, and Siva Nageswara Rao dubbed his portion.

[10] RGV's ingenuity lies in his understanding of human nature, and I got a first-hand experience while filming the scene where I betray Gollapudi Maruthi Rao.

In The Way of the Dragon, Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) comes from Hong Kong to work in a Chinese restaurant in Rome and fights local gangsters who try to intimidate the owners; this leads to a rivalry with a crime boss (Chuck Norris).

[14] Although Varma wanted to film a fight between Nagarjuna and Chakravarthy during a football match (based on a similar scene in 1978's Damien: Omen II), Venkat was indifferent to the idea.

[14] Siva's five-song soundtrack album and background score were composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with Veturi Sundararama Murthy writing the lyrics of "Anando Brahma", "Enniyallo", and "Kiss Me Hello".

[12] Nagarjuna's father Akkineni Nageswara Rao advised Varma to place an advertisement thanking the audience for the film's success.

[5] Produced in association with Atluri Purnachandra Rao on a budget of ₹1.15 crore, Shiva was released on 7 December 1990 and was successful in Mumbai and Kolkata.

[35] The second remake, also entitled Shiva, featured Mohit Ahlawat and Priyanka Kothari as the characters played by Nagarjuna and Amala in the original.

Unlike Siva, the protagonist in the second remake is an honest man who joins the Mumbai Police as a new recruit;[36] the cycle-chain scene and Raghuvaran's character were omitted.

[37] Shiva received negative reviews; Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com wrote that the film "dare[d] to ridiculously rest on the incapable shoulders of a non-acting cast", and nastiness was "defined as a scowling ogre".

Supriya Yarlagadda of Annapurna Studios said that the decision to remaster and digitise was made after observing the challenges in storing and preserving old film prints.

[32] Nagarjuna considered Siva a milestone in his personal life as well since he and Amala, who were in a relationship during the film's shoot, decided to marry after its completion.

[18] Siva attracted the young audience during its theatrical run, and its success encouraged filmmakers to explore a variety of themes and make experimental Telugu films.

[52] Telugu filmmaker S. S. Rajamouli understood the importance of heightening tension in action sequences, and the impact created by proper use of sound after watching Siva.

[56] On the rise of antisocial-element-based scripts in Tamil cinema, trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai said in May 2002 that Siva's Tamil-dubbed version (Udhayam) was the "forerunner" of city-based crime films.

[57] Tamil actor Ganesh Venkatraman was "mesmerised" as a child by Siva, admiring Nagarjuna and carrying a cycle chain in his schoolbag.

[58] About the impact of Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) on Indian cinema, Rana Daggubati said that regional films can gain national acceptance for their content and cited the success of Siva and Roja (1992) as examples.

[59][60] In March 2016, Karthi said that he admired Nagarjuna after seeing Udhayam its Tamil dubbed version and Idhayathai Thirudathe (1989) and found working with him in Oopiri (2016) "a great chance to know him.

"[61] The cycle-chain scene became popular, with people telling Varma that they broke a cycle chain after seeing Siva; the director called them the "ultimate example of how imagination can take over and become a reality in time".

[5] Chakravarthy agreed to play the antagonist in Naga Chaitanya's acting debut, Josh (2009), and said that its makers are "trying to get JD of Shiva who actually ran away mid way from college".

[72] Amala listed Siva with Pushpaka Vimana (1987), Vedham Pudhithu (1987), Agni Natchathiram (1988), and Karpoora Mullai (1991) as her most memorable films.