Shiva is a 1990 Indian Hindi-language action drama film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. It was a remake of Varma's debut Telugu film, Siva (1989). The film has Nagarjuna and Amala in lead roles with Raghuvaran and J. D. Chakravarthy as the antagonists. All four actors reprise their roles from the original Telugu film. The film became a blockbuster. The success led to Ram Gopal Varma directing a prequel in 2006 which has no connection to the original except similar name.

Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma, often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television. Varma has directed films across multiple genres, including parallel cinema and docudrama noted for their gritty realism, technical finesse, and craft. Regarded as one of the pioneers of new age Indian cinema, he was featured in the BBC World series Bollywood Bosses in 2004. In 2006, Grady Hendrix of Film Comment, published by the Film Society of Lincoln Center cited Varma as "Bombay's Most Successful Maverick" for his works on experimental films.