Jayasimha (born 6 November 1983), better known as Bobby Simha, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

and

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

language films, alongside a few

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

-language films. After making brief appearances in the films '' Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi'' and ''

Pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, on ...

'' (2012), he portrayed a kidnapper in Nalan Kumarasamy's ''

Soodhu Kavvum ''Soodhu Kavvum'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language black comedy crime film written and directed by Nalan Kumarasamy. It features Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, Ashok Selvan, Ramesh Thilak, Karunakaran and Sanchita Shetty in the lead roles. ...

'' and a comic villain in

Alphonse Putharen Alphonse Puthren is an Indian film director, producer, actor, editor, writer, and ad film maker. He works mainly in the Malayalam Cinema. He made his directional debut with the critically acclaimed Malayalam - Tamil bilingual suspense-thrille ...

's ''

Neram ''Neram'' () is a 2013 Indian black comedy thriller film written, directed, and edited by Alphonse Puthren in his directorial debut. Simultaneously made in Malayalam and Tamil languages, the film is an extended version of the short film of th ...

''. Simha's subsequent performance as the

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration i ...

gangster Sethu in Karthik Subbaraj's '' Jigarthanda'' (2014) won him positive reviews from critics and the

National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Supporting Actor (), is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), a ...

Early life

Bobby Simha was born to a

speaking family on 6 November 1983 in

Secundrabad Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), is a twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South Central Railway z ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

(now

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...

). Simha's family is from

Mopidevi Mopidevi is a village in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Mopidevi mandal in Machilipatnam revenue division. It is one of the villages in the mandal to be a part of Andhra Pradesh Capital R ...

Krishna District Krishna district is district in the coastal Andhra Region in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with Machilipatnam as its administrative headquarters. It is the coastal district of Andhra Pradesh. Machilipatnam is the most populated city in the ...

, Andhra Pradesh but they moved to

Kodaikanal Kodaikanal () is a hill station which is located in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means "The Gift of the Forest". Kodaikanal is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and has a long ...

in 1995. He subsequently completed his schooling at Priyadarshini Vidyalayam, a Telugu Medium School, in

and then attended college at Pioneer College of Arts and Science in

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbat ...

Career

In 2005, he participated in a Coimbatore-based event called Naalaya Natchathiram, where chief guests

Sundar C Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil language, Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist. His notable fil ...

and

E. Ramdoss E. Ramdoss (died 23 January 2023) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor who worked on Tamil films. Life and career Ramdoss was born in Villupuram to freedom fighter Ethirajalu Pillai and Poongavanam. As a youngster, he regularl ...

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 Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

to pursue a career in acting but ended up working in marketing, insurance and

business process outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...

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 ''

'', too.

Balaji Mohan Balaji Mohan (born 25 May 1987) is an Indian filmmaker and actor in Tamil-language films. After discontinuing his engineering studies to pursue his passion and become a director, he enrolled at a film academy and attended courses and workshops, ...

, 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 ''

'' (2013) portraying the role of Pagalavan, and played the antagonist in the bilingual ''

'', 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 ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

'' 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

. After ''Jigarthanda'' he played a lead role in the Malayalam film ''

Beware of Dogs ''Beware of Dogs'' is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Vishnu Sivaprasad. The plot follows four bachelors nicknamed Dogs by their house owner, Dominic, Oomen, Gautam, and Sunny. Starring Siju Wilson, Sek ...

'', while in ''

Aadama Jaichomada ''Aadama Jaichomada'' () is a 2014 Tamil language black comedy film directed by Badri. Produced by B&C films and Upshot Films, co-produced by Skilite Creations, the film stars Karunakaran, Bobby Simha and Vijayalakshmi in prominent roles, whi ...

'' 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 ''Urumeen'' is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language fantasy action thriller film written and directed by debutante director Sakthivel Perumalsamy. It stars Bobby Simha, Reshmi Menon, and Kalaiyarasan. Produced by Axess Film Factory, the film has cine ...

'', his first film as a solo action hero. In 2016, he appeared in the coming-of-age drama, ''

Bangalore Naatkal ''Bangalore Naatkal'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar, which is a remake of the 2014 Malayalam film ''Bangalore Days'' written and directed by Anjali Menon. Featuring an ensemble cast consist ...

'', 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 ''Saamy 2'', Also known as ''Saamy Square'',''Cringe Square'', is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Hari and produced by Shibu Thameens. It stars Vikram in a double role as a father and son, with Keerthy Suresh an ...

'', which is the sequel of ''

Saamy ''Saamy'' ( God) is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action masala film written and directed by Hari. The film was presented by K. Balachander and produced by Pushpa Kandasamy under banner Kavithalayaa Productions. The film stars Vikram and Tris ...

'', directed by

Hari Hari ( sa, हरि) is among the primary epithets of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, meaning 'the one who takes away' (sins). It refers to the one who removes darkness and illusion, the one who removes all obstacles to spiritual progre ...

. In 2019, ''

Film Companion Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...

'' ranked Simha's performance in '' Jigarthanda'' among the ''100 Greatest Performances of the decade.''

Personal life

Bobby Simha got engaged to actress

Reshmi Menon Reshmi Menon is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil films. Career In 2008, Menon was pursuing Visual Communication at Women's Christian College, Chennai, a course she enrolled in because she "loved the media". She accompani ...

in November 2015, and they married on 22 April 2016. The couple has two children– a daughter (born 2017), and a son (born 2019).

Awards

;

Vijay Awards The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has been given annually since 2006, with the latest—the 10th edition—of the award-giving ceremony having been held i ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

–

Vijay Award for Best Villain The Vijay for Best Villain is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The list Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. Nominations *2007 Kishore - '' Polladha ...

– '' Jigarthanda'' ;

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

–

Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil The Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil ( Kollywood) films. The award was introduced and first given at the 50th South Filmfare Awards in 2003, with Jay ...

– '' Jigarthanda'' ;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

–

– '' Jigarthanda'' ;

Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize Recipients Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. * The year mentioned refers to the year in which the films released. This is the list of Winners of Jury's Special Award See also * Tamil cinema * Cinema of Indi ...

* Best Actor – '' Jigarthanda'' ;

3rd South Indian International Movie Awards The nominations for the 3rd South Indian International Movie Awards were announced at a press conference held at a five star hotel in Hyderabad on July 17, 2014. Actors Rana Daggubati and Shriya Saran, who are the brand ambassadors of SIIMA, we ...

*Nominated - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - ''

'' *Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Tamil) - ''

'' *Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Malayalam) - ''

'' ;

4th South Indian International Movie Awards The 4th South Indian International Movie Awards was held in Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai on 6th and 7 August 2015. SIIMA 2015 recognized the best films and performances from the past year, along with special honors for lifetime contributions a ...

*Nominated - Best Actor in a Negative Role (Tamil) - '' Jigarthanda'' ; Edison Awards * 2014 - Edison Award for Best Villain - '' Jigarthanda''

Filmography

Feature films

Web Series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simha, Bobby Living people Male actors from Tamil Nadu Male actors in Tamil cinema Best Supporting Actor National Film Award winners 1983 births People from Dindigul district 21st-century Indian male actors Indian male film actors