Popular Malayalam actor-politician Suresh Gopi is will become the first-ever BJP MP elected from Kerala. Mr Gopi defeated CPI candidate Sunil Kumar by over 74,000 votes in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency. He had lost the seat in 2019.
Who is Suresh Gopi?
1. Born in Alappuzha on June 26, 1958, Suresh Gopi began his acting career as a child artist with the 1965 film Odayil Ninnu. He rose to fame as an action star in the Malayalam film industry in the 1990s. In September 2023, Mr Gopi was appointed as the president of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) and chairman of its governing council.
However, he was accused of sexual harassment by a female journalist during a media interaction in Kozhikode. The actor apologised in a Facebook post, saying he had only behaved in an “affectionate manner”.
2. After a successful acting career, Mr Gopi ventured into politics in 2016 and joined the BJP. In October, he was nominated by the BJP to the Rajya Sabha.
3. Suresh Gopi served as a Member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation from 2016 to 2019. At the same time, he was also a part of the Communications and Information Technology Committee. From 2019-2022, he was involved in the Consultative Committee for Tribal Affairs. He also served on the Coconut Development Board in Kochi.
4. Suresh Gopi contested the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 assembly polls from Kerala's Thrissur constituency. His star status attracted large crowds during campaigning but that didn't translate into a victory for him.
5. In 2022, Suresh Gopi courted controversy when he distributed kaineettam, a gift of coins or small amounts of money, during the harvest festival of Vishu. Mr Gopi was distributing the gifts from a car while people, including women, lined up and sought his blessings, touching his feet. This action sparked criticism, with some arguing that it was inappropriate for him to allow people, especially women, to touch his feet. Mr Gopi responded to critics, dismissing them as an "army of irritating tadpoles" and claiming that his actions were driven by good intentions.
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