Bobby Simha

Jayasimha, known as Bobby Simha, is an Indian film actor who has mainly appeared in Tamil films and few Telugu and Malayalam-language films. After making brief appearances in the films Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi and Pizza (2012), he portrayed a kidnapper in Nalan Kumarasamy's Soodhu Kavvum and a comic villain in Alphonse Putharen's Neram. Simha's subsequent performance as the Madurai gangster Sethu in Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda (2014) won him positive reviews from critics and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Career
Simha was born in Hyderabad, but family moved to Kodaikanal in 1995, he considers as his native place. He subsequently completed his schooling in a Telugu-Medium school, in Mopidevi, Andhra Pradesh and then attended college at Pioneer College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore. In 2005, he participated in a Coimbatore-based event called Naalaya Natchathiram, where chief guests Sundar C and E. Ramdoss suggested that he should attempt to become an actor in Tamil films. Simha stated that he received an offer to feature in a TV serial in Chennai and only after making the journey from Coimbatore, did he realise he had been conned. Simha subsequently finished his degree and came back to Chennai to pursue a career in acting but ended up working in marketing, insurance and business process outsourcing to fulfill his financial needs. He subsequently became acquainted with short-film maker Manikandan, who introduced him to his friend, another short-film maker Karthik Subbaraj. The pair subsequently made a series of short films together, with Subbaraj giving Simha a role in his directorial debut Pizza, too. Balaji Mohan, who too was short-film maker, gave Simha a small role in his first feature film, Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi. Both ventures became critically acclaimed and amongst the most profitable of 2012.

Simha then appeared in Soodhu Kavvum (2013) portraying the role of Pagalavan, and played the antagonist in the bilingual Neram, his performances in both films were received well. In 2014, he was seen in the role of an ageing Madurai gangster in Jigarthanda with his portrayal winning him critical praise. In an interview he said that in order to get into the character, he had interacted with real gangsters to learn their behaviour and nuances. To tan his skin, he stood in the sun at noon wearing only his shorts. The film opened to positive reviews in August 2014, with The Hindu writing that it had achieved "cult status" within a week of its release. Simha won positive reviews for his depiction of Sethu, with Rediff.com noting that Simha "steals the show. He is chillingly menacing at times, while completely hilarious in others, but equally convincing in both", stating it is "a truly remarkable performance". A critic from Sify.com delivered a similar verdict, writing "truly the film belongs to Simhaa. He is electrifying especially in the first half, where he brings out the viciousness and violent streak of the character along with that eerie laughter." His performance in the film earned him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. After Jigarthanda he played a lead role in the Malayalam film Beware of Dogs, while in Aadama Jaichomada he played Bhoominathan, a "serious, intelligent cop but with a comic touch". The success of Jigarthanda had created opportunities for Bobby Simha to become a lead actor, though several of his subsequent films did not perform well commercially. In December 2015, he appeared in Urumeen, his first film as a solo action hero.

In 2016, he appeared in the coming-of-age drama, Bangalore Naatkal, where he portrayed a softer role in comparison to his earlier action films. Simha had offered his own dates to the producers to portray a character in the film, with his performance receiving mixed reviews. In June 2016, he has signed to play as antagonist for Saamy Square, which is the sequel of Saamy, directed by Hari.

In 2019, Film Companion ranked Simha's performance in Jigarthanda among the 100 Greatest Performances of the decade. ''

Personal life
Bobby Simha got engaged to actress Reshmi Menon on 8 November 2015 and they married on 22 April 2016. In 2 May 2017 their daughter, Mudhra Simha, was born. Their second child, a son was born on November 2019.

Awards

 * Vijay Awards
 * 2014 – Vijay Award for Best Villain – ''Jigarthanda


 * Filmfare Awards South
 * 2014 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil – Jigarthanda


 * National Film Awards
 * 2014 – National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor – Jigarthanda


 * Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize
 * Best Actor – Jigarthanda


 * 3rd South Indian International Movie Awards
 * Nominated - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Soodhu Kavvum
 * Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Tamil) - Neram
 * Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Malayalam) - Neram


 * 4th South Indian International Movie Awards
 * Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Tamil) - Jigarthanda


 * Edison Awards
 * 2014 - Edison Award for Best Villain - Jigarthanda

Short films

 * The Angel - Antagonist
 * Nenjuku Neethi - Doctor
 * Maranthittiya - Police Officer
 * The Juniors - Police Officer
 * Eli
 * Black & White
 * Anbudan Jeeva
 * V-Chithiram - Best Actor in Littleshows Award 2013
 * Raja Rani

Web Series

 * Vella Raja (2018)