(MENAFN- Live Mint) Actor-turned-politician and Union Minister Suresh Gopi has expressed a strong desire to return to his film career, saying that his income has“completely stopped” since he took up a ministerial role in the central government.

Speaking at an event in Kannur, Kerala, the Thrissur MP and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism said he misses acting and wants to balance his political responsibilities with his passion for cinema.

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“I really want to continue acting. I need to earn more; my income has now stopped completely,” Gopi said.

“Never Wanted To Be A Minister By Quitting Films”

The veteran Malayalam star, who joined the BJP in October 2016, said that he never aspired to become a minister and had hoped to continue working in films.

“A day before the elections, I told reporters that I did not want to become a minister. I wanted to continue with my cinema career,” he said, adding that the party may have chosen him as a minister as a recognition of the mandate he received from the people.

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Gopi also suggested that C Sadanandan Master, a senior BJP leader from Kannur and Rajya Sabha MP, should replace him in the Union Cabinet.“I am saying with sincerity that Sadanandan Master should be made a Union minister after removing me. I believe that it will become a new chapter in the political history of Kerala,” he said.

“Words Are Often Twisted”

The minister also addressed recent criticism over his use of the word praja (citizens) to describe the people of his constituency. Gopi said his words were being deliberately misinterpreted by opponents.

“What is wrong with using the word praja? Earlier, sanitation workers were called manual scavengers, and now they are known as sanitation engineers. Likewise, praja and prajatantra are not offensive terms,” he said.

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Earlier this year, President Droupadi Murmu nominated Sadanandan Master - a BJP veteran and survivor of political violence who lost both legs in a 1994 attack allegedly by CPI(M) workers - to the Rajya Sabha.

Suresh Gopi, one of Malayalam cinema's most popular stars, made his Lok Sabha debut in 2024 from Thrissur. Since then, he has largely stepped away from acting, though he has repeatedly said he wishes to continue his career in films alongside his political duties.

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