Suresh Gopi

Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in some Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh made his acting debut as a child in the 1965 film Odayil Ninnu, since then, he has acted in more than 200 films. He is a recipient of a National Film Award and a Kerala State Film Award. He currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) in Rajya Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[1]

Suresh Gopi
Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha
(Nominated)
Assumed office
29 April 2016
Personal details
Born (1958-06-26) 26 June 1958
Alappuzha, Kerala, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Spouse(s)
Radhika Nair
​
(m. 1990)​
Children5 (including Gokul Suresh)
RelativesAranmula Ponnamma (grandmother-in-law)
ResidenceThiruvananthapuram, Kerala
EducationUniversity of Kerala
Occupation
Years active1965, 1986 – present (films)

Early life

Suresh Gopi was born on 26 June 1958 in Alappuzha, Kerala, India to K. Gopinathan Pillai, a film distributor, and V. Gnanalekshmi Amma, as their eldest son.[2][3] He has three younger brothers—Subhash Gopi, Sunil Gopi and Sanil Gopi (the latter two are twins).[4] Suresh was brought up in Kollam.[5] He completed his school education from Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Kollam.[6] Suresh joined Fatima Mata National College in Kollam for higher studies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and Master of Arts degree in English literature.[2][3]

Film career
Main article: Suresh Gopi filmography

Suresh Gopi played a small role as a child artist in Odayil Ninnu (1965). Later he made his adult acting debut through the minor role of a prospective groom in T. P. Balagopalan M. A. (1986). After playing various villain and supporting roles throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Suresh Gopi got a break through Shaji Kailas's Thalastaanam (1992) which was written by Renji Panicker.[7][6]

Shaji and Renji's combination films turned Suresh Gopi into an overnight star during the 1990s especially through police and army roles. Popular films Ekalavyan (1993), Mafia (1993), Commissioner (1994) along with Lelam (1997) and Pathram (1999) has given Suresh Gopi, the status of a new Malayalam superstar after Mohanlal and Mammootty, although his fanbase has diminished over years following his self-imposed sabbatical from the industry.[8] The role of Kannan Perumalayan in Jayaraj's Kaliyattam (1997) won him the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor.[9][6][10]

In 2010 he appeared in the film Christian Brothers. In 2011, Gopi acted in the film Melvilasom. In 2012 he acted in The King & the Commissioner. Gopi also worked in Tamil film I as Dr. Vasudevan.[11] In 2012, he hosted the game show Ningalkkum Aakaam Kodeeshwaran on Asianet, which was the Malayalam version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He continued to host its four seasons.[12][13] In March 2019, he made a comeback announcement in acting by joining Vijay Antony starrer Tamil film Thamilarasan.[14]

Politics

During his college days, Suresh was an active member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the students' wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM). Later in his life, he developed an admiration for stateswoman Indira Gandhi and the Indian National Congress (INC).[15] In the 2006 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, he campaigned for both Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front candidates. He campaigned for LDF candidate V. S. Achuthanandan in Malampuzha constituency and UDF candidate M. P. Gangadharan in Ponnani constituency.[16]

On 29 April 2016, Suresh Gopi was sworn in as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha, nominated by the President of India in the category of eminent citizens as per the provisions of Article 80 of the Constitution of India.[1] He opted Thiruvananthapuram district as the nodal district of operation under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme.[17] In May 2016, he was enlisted as a member in the standing committee for Information Technology and in the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India).[2][18] In October 2016, Suresh officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.[19]

He contested in the 2019 Indian general election in Kerala as a candidate of BJP in Thrissur constituency.[20] During the election campaign he invoked the name of the Sabarimala deity Ayyappan and hence District Collector of Thrissur, T. V. Anupama issued notice to actor and report to the CEO of Kerala, Teeka Ram Meena.[21] Meena found that Mr.Gopi has violated the model of conduct (MCC).[22][23] He lost in this election to the Congress candidate T.N. Prathapan and secured third position behind the CPI candidate Rajaji Mathew Thomas who came second.[24]

During the 2020 Kerala local body elections, Gopi advised the local BJP representatives about his stance on accepting requests from people. He said that people from allover Kerala write to him about different requests, and he only accepts the letters of request from individuals if they are attached to letters of recommendation from BJP district party chiefs. This was described by Gopi as a move that would strengthen the party. This controversial statement was shared widely on social media.[25][26]

Personal life

On 8 February 1990,[2] Suresh married Radhika Nair, the granddaughter of actress Aranmula Ponnamma. They have five children—Lakshmi Suresh, Gokul Suresh, Bhagya Suresh, Bhavni Suresh, and Madhav Suresh. Lakshmi died in a car accident while she was one-and-a-half years old.[27] Gokul Suresh is a young actor in Malayalam cinema.[28][29] Suresh resides with family in Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram.[3][30]

Gopi made headlines in 2015, when he gave his support to Maharashtra's controversial ban on beef while he was talking to the media. He said he never tasted beef in his life, and he never cooked it in his home and nobody in his home eats beef. He also added that if such a ban comes to the state, he would obey the government. However, a new video appeared online which captured Gopi, conversing on a radio show and speaking about his weight gain after a latest trip to Zurich.[31] He shared how he had eaten beef continuously for 4 days when there was only pork and beef available, which led him to gain weight.[32][33]

Luxury vehicle tax evasion

On December 2017, The Kerala state police arrested Suresh Gopi on charges of forging documents to register his luxury vehicle. The state police alleged that Gopi had used fraudulent home address to register his luxury vehicles in Pondicherry to escape the 20% vehicle-tax in Kerala on cars costing over ₹20 lakh.[34] On January 2020, the Crime branch reported that Gopi had registered his two Audi cars at a price of ₹60 lakh and ₹80 lakh each and evaded paying a tax of ₹3.6 lakh and ₹16 lakh for each of the cars.[35] He was later released on anticipatory bail.[36][37]

Awards
National Film Awards
Kerala State Film Awards
Filmfare Awards South

See also

References
  1. "Suresh Gopi sworn in as Rajya Sabha MP; becomes first RS nominated actor from Kerala". IBTimes. ibtimes.co.in. 30 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  2. "Shri Suresh Gopi". Rajyasabha.nic.in. Rajya Sabha. 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. "Suresh Gopi, Shri". India.gov.in. National Portal of India. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  4. "Profile of Malayalam Actor Suresh Gopi". en.msidb.org. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  5. Chandran, Cynthia (12 April 2017). "Suresh Gopi asked to focus more in Thiruvananthapuram". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  6. Saran, Renu (4 March 2014). History of Indian Cinema. Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd. ISBN 9789350836514. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  7. "More about Suresh Gopi". Bizhat.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  8. Fahir (31 May 2015). "When can you start calling a leading actor 'SUPERSTAR' in Malayalam Cinema?". My World Of Movies. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  9. Rediff On The NeT, Movies: Never say never again Archived 18 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. In.rediff.com. Retrieved on 10 April 2013.
  10. "CINIDIARY - A Complete Online Malayalam Cinema News Portal". cinidiary.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  11. Radhika C Pillai (11 September 2014). "Suresh Gopi to play villain!". The Times Group. Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  12. Ningalkkum Akam Kodeeswaran Starting on 9 April 2012 | Malayalam Television Channels Archived 30 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Keralatv.in (26 March 2012). Retrieved on 10 April 2013.
  13. Suresh Gopi's Ningalkkum Akam Kodeeswaran receives rave reviews | News – Oneindia Entertainment Archived 18 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment.oneindia.in (18 May 2012). Retrieved on 10 April 2013.
  14. Entertainment Desk (6 March 2019). "Suresh Gopi returns to the big screen with Vijay Antony's Thamizharasan". Indian Express Group. Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  15. Warrier, Shobha (30 October 1997). "Hero with a conscience". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  16. Sen, Swagata; Sajeevan, S. S.; Radhakrishnan, M. G. (15 May 2006). "Film actor Suresh Gopi campaigns for both UDF, LDF in Kerala". India Today. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  17. Binu, V. V. (8 November 2016). "Mohanlal teams up with Suresh Gopi; 'Kireedam' village to get a facelift". Malayala Manorama. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  18. "Actor Suresh Gopi presents his first report in RS". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 11 August 2016. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  19. Chatterjee, Arunava. "Malayalam Superstar Suresh Gopi Makes It Official, Joins BJP". NDTV. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  20. "BJP fields Malayalam star Suresh Gopi from Thrissur". Business Standard. 3 April 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  21. Kumar, G. Krishna (23 May 2019). "Election results 2019: Star power fails to make inroads in Kerala". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  22. "'Collector Anupama IAS wants fame': BJP rant after Suresh Gopi gets poll violation notice". The News Minutes. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  23. "Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer Tikka Ram Meena says Suresh Gopi violated model code". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  24. "Suresh Gopi flick fails to click". Deccan Chronicle. 24 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  25. "Kerala MP Suresh Gopi says he accepts request from people only with BJP recommendation". The News Minute. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  26. Daily, Keralakaumudi. "Applications will not be accepted without BJP district chief's recommendation letter, Suresh Gopi makes yet another controversial comment". Keralakaumudi Daily. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  27. "Mollywood celebs and their less famous spouses". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  28. "Mudhugauv fame Gokul is Suresh Gopi's son". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  29. "Pranav Mohanlal meets up Suresh Gopi's son Gokul". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  30. India Today Online (21 June 2012). "Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi's mother dies". India Today. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  31. V.P, Nicy (6 March 2015). "Viral Video Proves Suresh Gopi's Stand on Beef Ban to be False [VIDEO]". International Business Times, India Edition. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  32. "Why a video of actor Suresh Gopi is going viral on social media". The News Minute. 21 March 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  33. "Of ban on beef and digging up old videos". The Hindu. 9 March 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  34. "BJP Lawmaker Suresh Gopi Arrested, Released In Tax Evasion Case". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  35. TNN (1 January 2020). "CB files chargesheet against Suresh Gopi | Thiruvananthapuram News - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  36. Unnithan, P. S. Gopikrishnan. "Suresh Gopi, Malayalam superstar and BJP MP, quizzed by Crime Branch over allegations of tax evasion". India Today. Archived from the original on 9 July 2020.
  37. "Kerala: BJP MP and actor Suresh Gopi arrested, released in luxury car tax evasion case". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 July 2020.
  38. "45th National Film Awards (PDF)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  39. "Kerala State Film Awards" Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  40. "Nominations for the 62nd Britannia Filmfare Awards (South)" Archived 29 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Filmfare. June 3, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  41. V.P, Nicy (4 June 2015). "62nd Filmfare Awards South 2015: Dulquer Salmaan, Nivin Pauly, Mammootty, Biju Menon, Suresh Gopi Nominated". International Business Times, India Edition. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.