Actor-turned-politician and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s lone Lok Sabha member from Kerala, Suresh Gopi, who is also the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Tourism, on Wednesday, August 21, said that he will be “saved” if he is removed from the MoS post due to his interest in movies. He said that when he told Union Home Minister Amit Shah that he wanted to act in at least 22 movies, Amit Shah kept those papers aside.
“I will take three or four persons from the ministry to do the minister's job. I will give them a caravan or the producer has to give. I wish to do all that. Now because of this, if they let me go, I will be saved. Before I took over as Minister, I had said this to my leaders. I had met Amit Shah and he had asked me how many films I have in the pipeline. I told him I have about 25 scripts and 22 films," Gopi said, adding that he is expecting he would get permission to resume acting.
Suresh Gopi further said that he will definitely do films but permission has not been given yet. “However, one thing I can tell you. I would start the shooting for my film ‘Ottakomban’ on September 6,” the BJP MP said.
“With this responsibility as a Minister, I am unable to be with my voters in Thrissur. If I am relieved of the ministerial post, I can act and also be with the voters in my constituency,” he stated.
The BJP MP also said that he had not wished for the post but had to succumb when the leadership told him that the post was not given because of him but as a “thank you note” and “gift” to the voters of Thrissur.
Suresh Gopi had expressed hesitancy to take up a ministerial post since he had a few committed film projects lined up. But following pressure from the party's national leadership, he reached Delhi hours before the swearing in and was made the Minister of State for Tourism.