Amid reports that a faction of BJP party leaders was plotting to exclude him from the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, actor - politician Suresh Gopi has found himself in a real quandary regarding whether to accept the nomination as the president of the Kolkata-based Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) society and chairman of its governing council for a three-year term.
Sources close to the actor revealed that he was conflicted about accepting this role at the premier autonomous academic institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
Mr. Gopi learned about the appointment through the media when Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur congratulated him and shared the news on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter). Mr. Thakur also praised his “vast experience and cinematic brilliance, which will surely enrich this esteemed institute.”
When asked about his reaction to the nomination by the media, the actor declined to comment but disclosed to his inner circle that he would make a decision after consulting with the BJP Central leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom he maintains a rapport.
Essentially, sources indicated that the position of president of SRFTI society and chairman of its governing council was mostly “ ceremonial “, with no full-time administrative responsibilities. At present, noted filmmaker Himansu Sekhar Khatua serves as the full-time director of SRFTI, handling executive functions and implementing policies and programmes. He is assisted by the Dean in academic matters and the Registrar in administrative matters.
Recently, the MIB appointed actor R. Madhavan as the president of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India Society and chairperson of its governing council.
However, the news of Mr. Gopi’s nomination stirred a social media frenzy, with his supporters expressing anger at the Kerala BJP leadership, alleging that the new post was an attempt to prevent the actor from contesting the Lok Sabha polls in Thrissur.
Dismissing these reports, BJP State president K. Surendran stated that Mr. Gopi would indeed be fielded from Thrissur. In a Facebook, he also blamed TV channels for not fact-checking before airing news and suggested that this was part of the Congress party’s agenda, as it was initially posted by a Congress member.
Mr. Gopi, who had contested as BJP nominee from Thrissur in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 had secured 28.2 % of the total votes while Congress leader T.N.Prathapan received 38.8 % and his nearest rival Rajaji Mathew Thomas of the CPI, got, 30.9 %.
