 Shiva did his schooling in T. Nagar, Chennai and then studied at the New College, Chennai.On the insistence of film director K. Balachander, Shiva joined an acting school in Chennai after completing his graduation from Madras University in 1983.After getting trained in Kuchipudi dance from Vempetti Chinni Sathyam in Chennai during his college days, he made an entry into the Kannada film industry with "Anand".