Suresh Gopi

Suresh Gopinathan (born 26 June 1959), commonly known as Suresh Gopi, is an Indian film actor, politician, and singer who has starred in over 200 Malayalam films. The role of Kannan Perumalayan in Kaliyattam (1997) won him the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor.
In April 2016, Suresh Gopi was sworn in as a Member of Parliament (MP) to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India in the category of eminent citizens as per the provisions of Article 80 of the Indian Constitution. He opted Thiruvananthapuram as the nodal district of operation as member of Parliament. He is also a philanthropist, social worker, and a strong advocate for environmental protection.

Suresh Gopi was born in Nileshwaram, Kerala to Gnanalekshmi Amma and Gopinathan Pillai, a film distributor, as their eldest son. He has three younger brothers - Subhash Gopi, Sunil Gopi and Sanil Gopi (The latter two are twins). He had his primary education from Infant Jesus School Kollam. He pursued M.A. in English literature from Fatima Mata National College, Kollam city.

Suresh Gopi made his debut as a child artist in K. S. Sethumadhavan's Odayil Ninnu (1965). He returned to acting in the mid-1980s with Sathyan Anthikkad's T.P. Balagopalan M.A. (1986), where he played a prospective groom in a small scene. He went on to play supporting and villain roles. Some other roles of his include Balan in Nandi Veendum Varika (1986), Kumar in Rajavinte Makan (1986), Vinod in January Oru Orma (1987), Shekaran Kutty in Irupatham Noottandu (1987), Suresh in New Delhi (1987), Harry in Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988), Unni in 1921 (1988), and Aromal Chekavar in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989). He played the comic role of Inspector "Minnal Prathapan" in Manu Uncle (1988) and of Dr. Narendran in Padmarajan's Innale (1989).

He played Sethumadhavan in Siddique-Lal's In Harihar Nagar (1990). Another role was of Christopher Luke in Viji Thampi's Nagarangalil Chennu Raparkam (1990). He played a police officer in the satirical comedy Aanaval Mothiram (1990).

He starred Thalastaanam (1992), Ekalavyan (1993), Mafia (1993) and Commissioner (1994), all by Shaji Kailas and scripted by Ranji Panicker. These films established him as one of the superstars of Malayalam Cinema. All of them were police dramas. He played Bharathchandran IPS in the movie Commissioner.

During the early to mid-1990s, he also played characters of substance in films such as Jayaraj's Paithrukam (1993), Fazil's Manichithrathazhu, Sathyan Anthikkad's Samooham (1993) and Sibi Malayil's Sindoora Rekha (1995).

He played police officers or other tough characters in the films City Police, The City, Rudraksham (1994), Kashmeeram (1994), and Mahatma (1996).

In the late 1990s, Gopi starred Joshi's films Lelam (1998), Vazhunnor (1999) and Pathram (1999), again the former and the latter, scripted by Ranji Panicker. He played Nasrani characters Chackochi and Kuttappai in Lelam and Vazhunnor respectivel and the role of journalist Nandagopal in Pathram. Gopi appeared in Sibi Malayil's Summer in Bethlahem (1998).

He started off 2000 with Millennium Stars directed by Jayaraj which was followed by Thenkasipattanam. After 2000, he acted in off-beat movies and accepted only soft roles from 2001 to 2005. Panicker, directed the sequel to Commissionerwhich was called Bharathchandran I.P.S. portraying him as the police commissioner. This was followed by a number of movies in the same genre, in which he played the typical police officer or detective including The Tiger, Chinthamani Kolacase directed by Shaji Kailas, Nadiya Kollappetta Rathri directed by K. Madhu and Detective, Time, Aayudham, Thavalam, Rashtram, Pathaka, Bullet and Smart City. He played a role with negative shades in Lanka. In 2006 he reunited with director Shaji Kailas for the movie Time.

In 2008 Gopi appeared in multi-starrer Twenty: 20 produced by AMMA. He acted in Pakal Nakshatrangal, an off-beat movie directed by Rajiv Nath.

In 2010 he appeared in the film Christian Brothers. In 2011, Gopi acted in the film Melvilasom. In 2012 he acted in The King & the Commissioner. Gopi also worked in Tamil film I as Dr. Vasudevan. In 2012, he became the host of Asianet's Ningalkkum Aakaam Kodeeshwaran program, which is the Malayalam edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

National Film Awards:

• Best Actor – 1998 – Kaliyattam

Kerala State Film Awards:

• Best Actor – 1998 – Kaliyattam

Filmfare Awards

• 2014 – Nominated – Best Actor for Apothecary

• "45th National Film Awards (PDF)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved July 4, 2015. 
• "Kerala State Film Awards". Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
• "Nominations for the 62nd Britannia Filmfare Awards (South)". Filmfare. June 3, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
• http://www.ibtimes.co.in/62nd-filmfare-awards-south-2015-dulquer-salmaan-nivin-pauly-mammootty-biju-menon-suresh-gopi-634657