Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has issued a public apology to veteran actor Chiranjeevi. This unexpected gesture comes ahead of the grand re-release of Varma’s iconic 1989 film, ‘Shiva’.
Varma shared a video of Chiranjeevi discussing the film on his social media account. Accompanying the video, he posted a heartfelt message.
“Thank you @KChiruTweets gaaru,” Varma wrote. “Also on this occasion I want to sincerely apologise to you if I ever unintentionally offended you ..Thank you once again for your large heartedness 🙏🙏🙏”
Thank you @KChiruTweets gaaru, Also on this occasion I want to sincerely apologise to you if I ever unintentionally offended you ..Thank you once again for your large heartedness 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/08EaUPVCQT
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) November 9, 2025
The re-release of ‘Shiva’ was announced by Nagarjuna Akkineni, who starred as Shiva in the film. He made the announcement on his father Akkineni Nageswara Rao’s birthday.
Nagarjuna stated that ‘Shiva’ will return to theaters on November 14. The film has been digitally restored to 4K resolution and will feature Dolby Sound.
Varma responded to Nagarjuna’s announcement with humor. He commented, “Hey Nagarjuna, this is not a children’s film, but returning on Children’s Day will definitely bring childlike joy.”
‘Shiva’, released in 1989, is an action-drama set in a college environment. The film drew inspiration from Ram Gopal Varma’s own experiences during his engineering college days.
It starred Nagarjuna and Amala Akkineni in leading roles. The cast also included Raghuvaran, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Murali Mohan, and Gollapudi Maruti Rao.
S. Gopal Reddy handled the cinematography, while Ilaiyaraaja composed the music.
‘Shiva’ made a significant impact with its powerful background music and realistic action sequences. Both the Telugu version and its Tamil counterpart, ‘Udayam’, achieved considerable box office success. The film is widely regarded as a cult classic in Indian cinema.