A video of actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Suresh Gopi interacting with reporters in Kerala has become controversial after his inappropriate response to a woman journalist. In the video, Suresh Gopi keeps his hand on her shoulder as he answers her question, and she immediately steps back, trying to shake his hands away. When he repeats the gesture, she pulls his hand away and asks her question again. 

Suresh Gopi was speaking about the Israel-Hamas war and later the upcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2024. The actor had contested from the Thrissur constituency in 2019 and infamously lost, after making tall claims of "taking Thrissur" with him. There has been a talk that the BJP may once again field him from Thrissur. The woman journalist's question appeared to allude to the BJP's failure in procuring a single Lok Sabha seat in Kerala for all these years. 

At first, Suresh Gopi says, putting his hands on her shoulder, "Let me try, mole (daughter), let us wait." There is some laughter among the other journalists then, even though the woman moves back to lose his grip on her. He then says, "there is nothing humans can't do," at which she repeats her question, making her meaning clearer. Suresh Gopi tries to place his hand on her again but she uses her hand to pull it away. His tone also grows grave and he appears to lose his cool in the end, saying that ‘Kerala too is India, you should understand that’.

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists has condemned Suresh Gopi’s behaviour and asked him to issue an apology. 

A social media user, sharing the video, said: "Feeling a lot of respect for her. Everyone may not be able to respond so quickly. When she pushes his hand away, it felt like a moment bigger than any in his movies."

Suresh Gopi had triggered a row during his election campaign of 2019 when he touched the stomach of a pregnant woman as if to bless the baby.