Bobby Simha: From Kodaikanal to National awards

With his chubby cheeks and easy smile, he passes off as the friendly guy in the neighbourhood. But put him before a camera and Bobby Simha is a completely different man.

We saw this transformation in Tamil film Neram, in which he played Vatti Raja, the intimidating loan shark, and subsequently in Jigarthanda, as Assault Sethu, a dreaded mafia don from Madurai.

The latter role earned Simha a National award for best supporting actor, last month.

In an exclusive interview with tabloid!, Simha looks back on his journey from the hilly town of Kodaikanal to Chennai and now to the National podium.

What drew you to Assault Sethu?

I have known Karthik [director Karthik Subbaraj] for the past seven years and have been a part of all his short films. Jigarthanda was actually his first story, though he made it after Pizza. When I first heard the story, I was keen on playing Assault Sethu and expressed it to Karthik. But he felt that I would not be able to carry such a powerful character. He had Vijay Sethupathy in mind for this role and wanted me to play the hero, [which ultimately went to Siddharth]. After ‘Neram,’ released, Alphonse [Puthran, a director] suggested to Karthik to try me out as Assault Sethu. After a test shoot Karthik was convinced of my ability.

Which scenes from Jigarthanda were most difficult?

Every scene was tough. It was like preparing for an Ayyappan pilgrimage. Right from getting into the skin of the character to learning the Madurai slang, [it] was hard work. On the set, I seldom spoke and I never laughed. Most difficult were those scenes where as Assault Sethu, I had to be camera shy. That did not come easy.

Any fun moments on the sets?

For one scene with Ambika maam and Lakshmi Menon, I had to portray anger and smash a television set. While doing this scene, I suddenly realised that my lungi had slipped loose and I shouted ‘cut’, and ran in. That was one day when everyone had a good laugh.

When did you think of becoming an actor?

Right from my school days. I am a huge fan of superstar [referring to actor Rajinikanth] and have watched all his films. When I am feeling down, I watch his films to lift me up.

With no supporter in the industry, how has the journey been?

I was doing my degree in Coimbatore, when I quit college and came to Chennai in 2005. I presumed it would be easy and even told my friends, “watch me on 70mm”. The truth hit me soon with survival problems in a new city. I had no place to stay and asked friends for space. Once funds ran out, I took up a marketing job. Filling up my bike with petrol, I did the rounds on directors’ doors. I also did an acting course at Koothupattarai, (a noted Tamil theatre group), which made me confident in myself. Rejections and [broken] promises by directors were life’s lessons. I am known among friends as a stubborn person and that kept me going during the days of struggle.