Suresh Gopi, the BJP’s celebrity candidate for the Thrissur seat, is giving himself an afternoon makeover. He is stirring henna in a small brown bowl.
Actor politician or acting politician?
“Actor politician, of course,” Gopi laughs out aloud.
Gopi, one of Kerala’s best known and best loved actors, is on his second act, trying to win hearts and minds in Thrissur. His presence is unmissable, the difference being seeing him in election posters instead of film adverts. He projects himself as an Ivanhoe of the poor, and recalls the role he played as a Rajya Sabha MP to help constituents in economic distress. “Each time, I staged a sit-in without drinking a drop of water. Usually political leaders travelling in cars always drink water,” he says sotto voce.
Gopi sees himself as a nationalist with a clear economic vision, quoting Amit Shah’s direction on local cooperative bank policies when he visited Thrissur. He recalls the Congress blocking his bill. “I asked Shashi chettan (elder brother) why he voted against my bill, which would get the poor jobs. He arrogantly answered that the Congress has a duty to the alliance and so many cooperative banks would be affected,” Gopi recalls.
The NDA candidate’s house is on a quiet suburban street; a traditional Kerala home with gables, clay-tiled roof, wooden pillars supported by eaves, and large windows. Kerala seems to be returning to its original, but hybrid architectural ethos; the multicoloured concrete construction trend popular after the Gulf boom is slowly giving way to the aesthetics of the past. It would be premature and inaccurate to speculate about old Hindu building styles making a comeback, because rich Muslims seem to be hiring the same architects. The architecture of Gopi’s campaign philosophy isn’t communal. Muslim votes matter in Thrissur and go usually to the Congress.
Suresh Gopi is a big name among Malayalis, having acted in over 300 films; hence why was not he, but the unknown Muraleedharan appointed a Central minister? Gopi answers, “I told the Prime Minister that I would rather remain the way I am because power builds walls, both small and big.” He has no plans to quit acting. “My heart is filled with artistic, not political, aspirations. I need to follow my passion and I’m the sole breadwinner in my family.”
An honest admission for a politico. Gopi calculates he needs to make three or four movies a year, which will leave him 160 days for pro-poor political work. He claims he is the inspiration behind some of Modi’s social schemes. He had called on Modi when the former was Gujarat CM. “I told him that women in rural India have to shove clay into their private parts for five days monthly. They don’t have toilets either.” He recalls Modi going into deep thought. “In 2014, women were given sanitary pads and toilets were built in every village,” the actor grins as if all the dots have been connected.
Why does no political party in Kerala have a national face?
“It’ll come. Once you see a successful person in the political space, the best of the best will join the mission. Be patient. The world is ours, not just the country.”
It’s not clear if Thrissur will be Gopi’s. His main opponents are the street smart Sunil Kumar, a CPI comrade and former LDF minister, and UDF’s K Muraleedharan, son of ‘Leader’ K Karunakaran, a political giant who straddled Kerala politics.
The Congress representative, in spite of his soft demeanour, gets ebullient when he sees crowds of admirers cheering him. He caustically remarks that Thrissur needs not a Central minister, but development. His chariot is a large platform on wheels loaded with chairs — Muraleedharan’s own revolving chair, a podium, mikes, loudspeakers and a genset. The microphones loudly announce the arrival of the Leader’s Son, invoking his phantom blessing.
Muraleedharan says the backwards, who are strong in Thrissur, are anti-BJP and so are the Muslims and Christians who backed the Congress. “I hear Christians saying Modi has the time to visit Kerala, not Manipur.” Agrees his adversary, CPI candidate Sunil Kumar, who likes to mingle with the crowds and drink chai from common tea shops and be a people’s comrade. “This election is a life and death issue for India. If Modi wins, he will make India a religion-based country.”
It may be a mistake to wish religion away. The historic annual Thrissur pooram, a two-day extravaganza involving caparisoned elephants and crackers, was stopped by the police, which lathi-charged pilgrims. BJP is blaming the LDF for desecrating Kerala’s ancient temple festival, which draws people from across the state.
As his ‘rath’ makes its colourful way through the inner roads festooned with BJP flags, lotus posters and candidates’ visage, Gopi is in his element. Women line the roads and wait for him at the gate. A tall man in a blue tee had been waiting for nearly an hour. “I came all the way from Bahrain just to vote for Gopi,” he smiles.
Local BJP thinks the Modi factor is a plus for Gopi; the PM attending his daughter’s wedding has boosted his standing. An MP close to the PM can get things done for Thrissur.
It’s time to get things done for Gopi too. The henna, which has darkened in its bowl, is ready for application. “It’s organic. No chemicals,” assures Gopi. For a man thinking of making an autobiographical political movie one day, it is dye another day.
it’s not clear if Thrissur will be Suresh Gopi’s. His main opponents are the street smart Sunil Kumar, a CPI comrade and former LDF minister, and UDF’s K Muraleedharan, son of ‘Leader’ K Karunakaran, a political giant who straddled Kerala politics