Ram Gopal Varma admits copying Nagarjuna’s Shiva from Bruce Lee’s Return of the Dragon: "I came up with the one-line idea"

Nagarjuna’s Shiva is inspired from Bruce Lee’s Return of the Dragon

Nagarjuna, Amala Akkineni, and Raghuvaran starrer Shiva is all set to return to the theatres after 30 years, creating a buzz among the fans. As the re-release approaches, director Ram Gopal Varma shared some behind-the-scenes details about the film.

The director revealed a startling similarity between the 1989 movie and Bruce Lee's Return of the Dragon, claiming that he had copied the 1972 version.

During a recent press event in Hyderabad ahead of Shiva’s re-release, Ram Gopal Varma admitted to the media that he is a big fan of Bruce Lee, adding, “Initially, I planned to make a small film titled Rathri. Around that time, Venkat suggested I write a story for Nagarjuna. I remember watching Return of the Dragon for the 50th time.”

The director further revealed that the Bruce Lee film takes place at a restaurant but it was transformed into a college in Shiva.

He elaborated, “I simply replaced the restaurant backdrop with a college setting for Shiva. I came up with the one-line idea in just 20 minutes, combining all my college experiences into it.”

Shiva was released in the theatres in 1990 and explored violence and politics on campuses, and starred Nagarjuna as a student. At the time of its release, the movie was regarded as groundbreaking.

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The official synopsis of the film reads, “Shiva, a fresher at VAC College, is forced to stand up against the students' union president and a group of gangsters who have made the college environment increasingly violent.”

Meanwhile, Return of the Dragon was released in Chinese as The Way of the Dragon. The film revolves around Tang visiting his relatives and deciding to help them fight against a syndicate who are forcing them to sell their restaurant. However, things get ugly after the syndicate appoints someone to fight Tang.