Former co-stars and now Ministers: Ganesh Kumar and Suresh Gopi in ugly spat

Thiruvananthapuram, April 9 (IANS) Two prominent Kerala politicians and former film co-stars -- State Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar and Union Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi -- are locked in a public spat that has spilled onto the streets.

Both actors-turned-politicians, known for their fiery temperaments and sharp tongues, have acted together in several Malayalam films. But in real life, they are now on opposing political fronts -- and clashing openly.

The latest row began after Suresh Gopi, who is also Lok Sabha MP from Thrissur, got into heated exchanges with the media. Gopi, for the last few days, has been in the news for his skirmishes with the media. Last week, he lost his cool when a reporter from CPI(M)-backed Kairali TV asked him a question.

A day later, he asked journalists to leave the premises at a public function, further drawing criticism.

Taking a swipe, State Minister Ganesh Kumar remarked that ever since Gopi played a police officer in a blockbuster film, he started keeping an IPS cap in the rear of his car. “Maybe it’s time for someone to shout ‘cut’ on his act,” Kumar quipped.

Gopi’s supporters responded by circulating an old video from 2014, in which the actor gifted that same police cap to a young boy who had been in the news after being assaulted. Gopi had fulfilled the boy’s wish to meet him and joined in his birthday celebrations.

Kumar wasn’t impressed. “What should have been done was to auction that cap and give the proceeds to the boy. What will the child do with a police cap?” he retorted.

The exchange sparked protests in Pathanapuram, Ganesh Kumar’s constituency, where BJP workers marched to his official residence on Wednesday, shouting slogans and clashing with the police.

The political theatrics between the two stars have added a dramatic twist to Kerala’s political landscape, blending cinema and politics in true Kerala style.

--IANS

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