Suresh Gopi draws flak for his speech against atheists: 'I'll pray for their total destruction'

Seasoned Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi has come under fire after his harsh comments against atheists went viral on the internet. Recently, he spoke at an event organised to celebrate Maha Shivaratri. While he claimed that he appreciates people who believe in God from all religions, he lashed out at the non-believers, warning them to steer clear of the community of believers. 

"I can boldly say that I have no love for nonbelievers. I will not tolerate any power that threatens to harm the rights of a believer. I'll pray for their total destruction before the 'sreekoreekovil' (sanctum sanctorum). Everyone should do that," Suresh remarked. 

"Our faith is not for harming anyone. But a peaceful and good life should not be made possible, under no circumstances, for any person that insults our faith, our religious institutions, and our religious ways," he added. 

Suresh's speech is snowballing into a political controversy in Kerala. "It would become political if I name names. But, such people should not even enter the periphery of the believers. They can circle outside our parameters and go far away from us," he added. 

Suresh's comments have garnered a lot of flak as many have expressed disappointment in the actor. 

On the career front, Suresh is having a pretty good run at the box office. The last few of his movies did well in terms of theatrical collection and exceeded expectations. Kaaval (2021), Paappan (2022) and Mei Hoom Moosa (2022) did well in thetress. However, Paappan emerged as one of the biggest commercial hits in Suresh's career. It's said that within 20 days the film earned a whopping Rs 50 crore from its worldwide ticket sales. 

Suresh also has a slew of movies in the making, including JSK and Ottakkomban among others.