One of the talented directors of Kannada cinema, Joe Simon, is no more. He passed away on Friday during a meeting at KFCC. Though he was immediately rushed to nearby Mallige Hospital, his 80-year-old heart did not respond.
Joe Simon began his career as a set boy and went on to direct his first film, Ondu Premada Kathe. Apart from directing, he also worked as a story writer, screenplay writer, and dialogue writer.
He directed over 30 films in his career, including more than 15 films starring Dr. Vishnuvardhana. Some of his notable films that performed well at the box office include Nyaya Geddithu, Prema Jaala, Ravi Verma, Oorina Upakari, and Nanna Rosha Nooru Varusha. He was a close associate of Dr. Vishnuvardhana and Dr. Ambarish. Films like Simha Jodi, Sahasa Simha, Hongkongnalli Agent Amar, Snehada Kadalalli, Ravi Verma, and Time Bomb were well received.
After more than four decades in the Kannada film industry, Joe Simon also worked in Tamil cinema. During his early days, he worked with B.R. Panthulu in Rahasya Police 111, an opportunity that came through Guna Singh, a noted flute specialist in Kannada cinema. He entered the film industry in 1967 as a dialogue writer and actor.
Joe Simon also made his Tamil directorial debut with Konjam Kadhal Konjam Modhal, featuring Rajendra and Jeetendra, with Malavika as the heroine. The film, produced by M.V. Kumar, revolved around themes of love and conflict. T.K. Murthy composed the music, and Shanmugam wrote the dialogues.
The journey of Joe Simon’s career—its growth, brief stagnation, and resurgence—was interesting. He later moved to acting in television serials, beginning with Parampare. In a 2013 interview, he mentioned that Tamil cinema paid four times more than Kannada cinema. By then, he had directed over 30 films, including 15 starring Dr. Vishnuvardhana.
From Ondu Premada Kathe onwards, Joe Simon established himself as an independent director. Some of his other notable films include Prachandaru, Sahasa Simha, Oorige Upakari, Nyaya Geddithu, Prema Jyothi, Mahapurusha, Bharat, Mr. Vasu, and Chiranjeevi Raje Gowda.
