Suresh Gopi spoke about Thilakan ban

Suresh Gopi, while batting for thespian Thilakan who has been ousted from an actors association for indiscipline, said Sunday that denying anyone the right to work was unfortunate. Thilakan has been dismissed from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) for alleging that a section of actors was conspiring against him. On account of the ban, it has become extremely difficult for the 74-year-old veteran actor to get new films. He has a family which includes even grandchildren and it is the fundamental right of everyone to work and if that is being denied then it is unfortunate, said Gopi. But at the same time there is a code of conduct for everyone in an organization and if there is violation, then action will be taken, he added. Gopi was interacting with the media after a screening of his latest release Rama Ravanan, which is a film made from the story Manomi, a work of Kamala Surayya alias Madhavikutty. Gopi said that it was way back in 2003 that at a function Madhavikutty told him that she wants him to act in the lead role of the story from Manomi, if ever a film is made. The story revolves around a Sri Lankan girl Manomi, who falls in love with a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) extremist Thiruchelvam (played by Gopi). She told me that I look like the main character in the story Thiruchelvam. She later said that I resemble don Dawood Ibrahim also, he said. I am very happy that I have done the lead role and now I wish to find out from the audience, if my selection of roles is right or wrong. Of late there has been a talk about my selection, said Gopi.