Actor Bobby Simha talks about his favourite movies to Vandhana…
Bobby Simha stormed into the Tamil film scene with a brilliant performance as Vatti Raja in Neram; and earned rave reviews for his turn as a cold blooded killer in Jigarthanda. But all that aside, he is just a Rajini fan boy at heart, as his list of favourite movies shows.
Baasha (1995): Baasha remains one of my all-time favourites, because, quite simply, it was the very first film that I watched. I was in the fourth standard when I saw thalaivar say “ulle po” in that menacing tone. And I was hooked. I would have definitely watched the film over 30 times. Even now, when they play it on the television, I don’t miss it. I will never tire of this one.
Thalapathi (1991): These films are all favourites because I like everything about them. What I loved about about Thalapathi was this brilliant scene where he tries to explain to a little girl about his past. “Naan porandhena… karuppa irundhena…” Romba mass aana scene adhu. It stayed with me for a very long time. It perfectly showcased Rajini sir’s talent.
(Embedding disabled, so watch here:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ph1aS6tYgwA
Mullum Malarum (1978) – Whenever I feel low, I watch this film. It lifts me up and makes me feel much better about myself. When Rajini says, “rendu kai rendu kaal ponakooda indha Kaali pozhaichippan da…” Wow. Simply wow. There have been times when I’d felt that I was doomed to be a failure. Appo ukkarndhu andha scene ah potta…bayangarama irukkum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzbReoXAp68&feature=player_detailpage#t=4740
Johnny (1980) – I like Johnny for its stylish presentation. That opening shot for instance. It blew me away. And then, the way Rajini cons people. Also, I liked the fact that it wasn’t a black-and-white kind of a movie. It showed the gray shades in life, the real side of people and true human nature. These kind of films that stay true to real life are the ones that win me over.
Nayagan (1987) – Two words. Kamal sir and Mani Ratnam sir. Ok, so that’s not two words, but you know what I mean right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaSPHeBUE-k
Iruvar (1997) – This is a beautiful film. A very beautiful film. The way they show the friendship and eventual rivalry between Mohanlal and Prakash Raj is just mindblowing. Even when they are engaged in the most bitter war possible, they never give up on each other. I can relate to this the most because even I have friends like that. I may fight with them today and not talk to them for a while. But you mess with them in anyway, and you’ll have to face me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi7J1hzXT2c
Mouna Ragam (1986) – Mostly for Ilaiyaraaja’s music. I might have played a Shankar Ganesh fan in Jigarthanda but in real life, I’m a big Ilaiyaraaja veriyan. So, for that and also for the way it portrayed romance. A film that inspired me in countless ways. Let me not bore you with the details, though.
Pudhupettai (2006) – If you want to know how to script a film, you could learn by watching Selvaraghavan’s work. The man’s a genius and it shows.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966) – For the love of Clint Eastwood. The man does everything in style – even the way he smokes is beautiful to watch. It’s not that much of a stretch really – from a die-hard Rajinikanth fan to a Clint Eastwood fan.
The Machinist (2004) – This Christian Bale. He is a complete actor. The immense dedication he shows towards the role and the film commands a certain respect. And then, he follows it up with Batman and you know why everybody is in awe of him. Including me. I’ve liked most of his work but I picked this film because I feel he’s done his very best onscreen and as an actor, it is a delight to watch him.
Sholay (1975) – Fundamentally, Sholay is all about entertainment. And it broke rules, and made new ones in the process. So many years later, it still manages to inspire young film lovers world over.
Dilwane Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) – Ok, I know this is a surprise. But hey, I don’t have to only like action movies. Idhu vera level love story. Amrish Puri made me want to revisit the movie over and over again. Besides, it was one of the very first films that featured a couple who try to convince their parents to let them marry each other and not choose the easy way out and elope.
Andha sentiment ku naan adimai.
