As an action hero, his career in Malayalam films goes back four decades. It’s his new role, that of a BJP MP and a Union Minister, that Suresh Gopi is struggling with.
More than a year after his stunning win from Thrissur – marking the first time the BJP won a Lok Sabha seat in Kerala – the 67-year-old Gopi’s political gaffes continue.
Most recently, the MP drew flak over his interactions – in quick succession – with two of his constituents, where he lost his cool in public over demands made by them. Before this too, his retorts, often emotional, sometimes nasty, and quite unlike a seasoned politician’s, have kept him in the news.
The BJP, however, can’t complain to have not been forewarned, with the actor donning his new role, especially that of Union Minister of State reluctantly, citing his film commitments. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have it no other way, and Gopi eventually fell in line.
But as the actor continues to have viral run-ins, BJP leaders worry that the unnecessary spotlight could boomerang on the party in Thrissur.
Apart from his alleged arrogance in dealing with voters, Gopi has faced charges of sexual harassment from a woman journalist; trod onto delicate caste territory by saying he was envious of Brahmins and wanted to be reborn as a Thantri in his next birth to see Lord Ayyappa closely; said persons from upper castes should be able to hold charge of the Tribal Affairs portfolio; and resolved to pray to God to “curse non-believers” across the world.
In the two most recent cases, both of which happened last week, Gopi seemed dismissive of a senior citizen who sought help for rebuilding the roof of his dilapidated house in Thrissur, and was seen as replying sarcastically to an elderly woman who wanted help with recovering her deposit from the scam-hit Karuvannur Cooperative Bank.
The BJP, which doesn’t have many pan-Kerala faces, has been banking on Gopi in the state due to his popularity and image. This is believed to have proved a hit in the Thrissur seat, with a substantial population of Christians besides Hindus. Having been a Rajya Sabha MP, Gopi also had experience of Delhi.
“Narendra Modi’s guarantee” was one of Gopi’s main planks in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with the PM dropping in to campaign for the actor and also attending his daughter’s wedding at Guruvayur.
According to senior BJP leaders, what seems to be going wrong with the Gopi experiment is his failure to assimilate into the party. “He thinks his victory had more to do with his personal popularity as an actor and less with the BJP or the RSS,” a senior BJP leader says.
Former Kerala BJP chief K Surendran regretted that Gopi’s “noble deeds” have gone unnoticed as he leaves himself open to attacks by the CPI(M) and the Congress with his actions. “Our rivals never thought he would win. So now they are targeting him… It’s true that he sometimes fails to talk like a politician. But that does not take away the good things he does… He is a kind and generous man who has empathy and helps a lot of needy people.”
Surendran also hinted that the current BJP leadership may have failed to handle Gopi well, and that as state chief himself, he had devised a way to work with him. “Gopi is not a day-to-day politician, but we used his acceptability and popularity. We never tried to impose party discipline on him.”
Incidentally, for a man who does not seem cut out for politics, Gopi has hung on the fringes of it for a long time, as an active participant in CPI(M) student politics and as an admirer of former Congress veteran K Karunakaran and the late prime minister Indira Gandhi. Before moving to the BJP, which has only recently started climbing in Kerala politics, Gopi had campaigned for both the Congress and Left in elections.
A sticking point has also been Gopi’s reluctance to put his acting career on hold. BJP sources talk about a senior leader snubbing him when he sought a go-ahead to carry on with acting. A BJP leader from Kerala said: “Gopi belongs to a different world. Had he been able to talk a bit more politely, he would have much more acceptability.”
A fellow MP said that as minister, Gopi was an even bigger misfit. “He completely forgets his role as a minister. He often overreacts and the media, especially social media, are unkind to such personalities.”
Officially, the BJP plays down any suggestion of an erosion in Gopi’s popularity. “The controversies around him have been created by the CPI(M) as his victory totally changed the political dynamics of the Thrissur region,” says BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. “He is our most popular leader in that region. Despite all of the CPI(M)’s efforts, his popularity has only increased. If there is an election tomorrow, he will win with an even higher majority.”
Other leaders said Gopi has left the CPI(M) “rattled” over how “effectively” he has taken on its government in Kerala. One video that went viral was of Gopi taking on CPI(M) MP John Brittas over forced cuts in the Mohanlal-starrer Empuran, asking whether the CPI(M)-backed Kairali would screen two other films seen as sensitive, TP 51 and Left Right Left.