Nagarjuna details 7-year effort to restore crime-thriller Shiva at IFFI Goa 2025
Nagarjuna and Annapurna Studios team detail the seven-year journey of restoring crime-thriller ‘Siva’ for 4K release, including the miracle of retrieving missing audio from prints stored by enthusiastic exhibitors in the Telugu states.
At the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, actor Nagarjuna and his technical team at Annapurna Studios revealed the years-long process required to recreate Ram Gopal Varma’s crime-thriller. ShivaThe presentation explained in detail how despite the severe deterioration of the original film negatives, the film was successfully revived for a lavish theatrical re-release with stunning 4K visuals and immersive Dolby Atmos sound,
The technical team at Annapurna Studios had begun planning the restoration well before 2019, fully aware of the challenges ahead, as the negativity was rapidly worsening. CV Rao, Chief Technology Officer, Annapurna Studios, explained that after the sticky negative was finally made rollable through ultrasonic cleaning, the 4K scan was achieved. However, the footage was “filled with extensive ‘scratches, dust and torn frames’,” requiring the team to clean the film frame by frame – a process that took eight to ten months.
The true “surprise came when they examined the audio and found that two reels of the sound negative were ‘completely damaged’.” “We checked whatever was available on YouTube, but that was not enough for a dramatic restoration,” Rao said. The solution came through the ambitious idea of finding the original prints: “Fortunately, our distribution team at Annapurna Studios helped us track down the prints in the Telugu states, contacting enthusiastic exhibitors… After reaching out to about 20 such exhibitors, the team found two surviving reels, which helped us recover the missing audio!”
Speaking at the IFFI screening, Nagarjuna expressed delight at the surprising results: “The remastered version of Shiva are amazing. I see a lot of movies coming to life with it. I was talking to Ramesh Sippy sir and told him that I would love to hear the sound of the coin cinder In a new way! Since it’s Annapurna Studios’ 50th year, we thought what could be a better film than this ShivaWhich remains a cult classic,” Nagarjuna said at IFFI, where the new version of the film was screened.
ShivaOriginally released in 1989 and backed by Annapurna Studios, it achieved considerable box office success and earned widespread praise.
The film was first screened in the Indian Panorama Mainstream section of the 13th IFFI (International Film Festival of India) in 1990.
