Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, better known by his stage name Dileep, is an Indian actor, producer, comedian and entrepreneur who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. He has also acted in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, and Kannada films. He has won several awards, including Kerala State Film Awards and one

Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...

. Dileep was one of the most commercially successful malayalam actors. Beginning as an impressionist in stage shows, Dileep obtained recognition after being cast in the television comedy series ''Comicola'' on Asianet and its successor ''

Cinemala ''Cinemala'' () is an Indian Malayalam language, Malayalam language satirical comedy Television Series in Asianet (TV channel), Asianet TV channel. Starting Dileep and Salim Kumar in leading roles. Broadcast The first episode aired on Asia ...

''. He then produced and performed in the audio cassette series ''De Maveli Kombathu'' with Nadirshah, a successful

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

, which was later turned into a television series on Asianet. He began his film career as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have ...

and worked under director Kamal in nine films, beginning with '' Vishnulokam'' in 1991, and made his acting debut with a minor role in Kamal's '' Ennodu Ishtam Koodamo'' (1992). He acted in a major role as a struggling young man who wants to meet his favourite actress in the 1994 film '' Manathe Kottaram'' taking the screen name Dileep. He established himself as a successful actor during the late 1990s, mostly playing comedic roles. In 2002 he played the titular role in Meesha Madhavan which became the highest grossing Malayalam film ever at that time and catapulted him into superstardom gaining the moniker “Janapriyanayakan”. In 2003, Dileep founded the film production company Graand Production, its debut film was '' C.I.D. Moosa''. Outside of films, Dilieep also owns the multiplex theatre D Cinemaas, and the

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many pa ...

Dhe Puttu. Dileep was married to actress Manju Warrier from 1998 to 2015. He married actress Kavya Madhavan in 2016.

Early life and education

Dileep was born in Edavanakad,

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, India to Padmanabhan Pillai and Sarojam on 27 October 1967. He is the eldest among three children. He has a brother, Anoop, and a sister, Sabitha. Dileep studied at Vidyadhiraja Vidya Bhavan Higher Secondary School in

Aluva Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre. Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...

, where he passed the tenth standard in 1985, and joined the Union Christian College, Aluva for pre-degree third group, during 1985–1987. Later, he pursued a degree in history at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam. It was during his time in Maharaja's College that he began taking impressionist acts seriously. Dileep along with his friend Nadirshah produced and performed in the

Onam Onam () is an annual harvest and Hindus, Hindu cultural festival celebrated mostly by the people of Kerala. A major annual event for Malayalis, Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. H ...

-based audio cassette titled ''De Maveli Kombathu'', which helped his entry into the film industry.

Career

1991–1999: early years

Dilieep started his career at Kalabhavan, working as a

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...

artist in the 1980s. He also performed in Asianet's comedy show ''Comicola''. Later, while working as the

to Kamal, he acted in a few small roles, starting with a small scene in Kamal's '' Ennodu Ishtam Koodamo'' (1992). Kamal recommended his name to many directors. He started using the name of the role Dileep in '' Manathe Kottaram'' (1994), as his screen name. Success of two 1996 films, Kamal's Ee Puzhayum Kadannu and Sundar Das' Sallapam, anchored his place in the Malayalam film industry. He played a supporting role in I. V. Sasi's ''Varnapakittu'' (1997). '' Punjabi House'' in 1998 marked the beginning of the successful Dileep- Harishree Ashokan combo.

2000–2009: stardom

'' Ee Parakkum Thalika'' (2001) and '' Kuberan'' (2002) were a major success at box office and are considered two of the best movies in his career. In 2002 he won the Kerala State Film Special Jury Award for playing the role of Kunjan in the film '' Kunjikoonan''. In Lal Jose's '' Meesa Madhavan'' (2002), Dileep played the role of the thief ''Madhavan''. This movie, which eventually developed a

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

following was a major breakthrough in his career as it increased Dileep's stardom to a new level in Malayalam cinema. The same year he also debuted in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Ch ...

with '' Raajjiyam''. '' C.I.D. Moosa'' (2003), a slapstick comedy by Johny Anthony is considered one of Dileep's career best movies by many fans. In 2004, he produced and starred in T. V. Chandran's '' Kadhavaseshan''. He won a Special Mention for his performance in '' Chanthupottu'' (2005). Dileep produced

Joshiy Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and also directed Tamil language, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu language, Telugu and Kannada-language films. Joshiy made his directorial ...

-directed '' Twenty:20'' (2008) to raise funds for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). The film became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ( 31.4 crore) until that time.

2010–present

He ventured into production with '' Malarvaadi Arts Club''. '' Kaaryasthan'' (2010) was his 100th movie, For his role in '' Vellaripravinte Changathi'' (2011) he won a Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor. " Two Countries" released on Christmas Day 2015, directed by Shafi, became the highest-grossing film in his career. His 2017 film, Ramaleela, became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time. After a break, in the movie Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan (transl. Keshu is the lord of this house) Dileep comes to the screen in the title role along with Urvashi.The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Personal life

Dileep married actress Manju Warrier on 20 October 1998; their daughter, Meenakshi, was born in 2000. In July 2014, the couple filed for divorce which was granted on 31 January 2015. On 25 November 2016, Dileep married actress Kavya Madhavan.Dileep and Kavya Madhavan expecting their first child
. The Indian Express (6 September 2018). Retrieved 21 September 2018. The couple have a daughter born in 2018.

Off-screen work

Besides acting and film production, Dileep is also involved in film distribution (through Graand Production) and

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

. He owns the multiplex theater complex D Cinemaas situated in

Chalakudy Chalakudy () is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur district of the Kerala state in India. It is the headquarters of Chalakudy taluk. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly Falls and Vazhachal Falls ...

. He along with his friend Nadirshah founded the

Dhe Puttu, they have restaurants in

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

and

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

Media image

He was popularly called 'Janapriya Nayakan' (transl. popular hero) by delivering consecutive hits which entertained the audience of all ages. 2019 film '' Shibu'' starring Karthik directed by Arjun and Gokul is a film made on Dileep, and is based on an ardent fan of Dileep who wants to make a movie with him.

Controversies

Sexual assault case

On 28 June 2017, Dileep was interrogated by the

Kerala Police The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperament, ...

in connection with the abduction and

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

of actress Bhavana on 17 February 2017. On 10 July 2017, Dileep was arrested by the Kerala Police for alleged conspiracy, and was remanded by the court. Following his arrest, Dileep's membership was revoked by various film organisations. Several political parties protested against Dileep and his business firms were vandalized, including Dhe Puttu restaurant and the multiplex theatre D Cinemaas. On 3 October 2017, he was released on conditional bail by the

Kerala High Court The High Court of Kerala is the List of high courts in India, highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the Hig ...

. In June 2018, he filed a petition in the Kerala High Court charging the Kerala Police of deliberately framing him. He requested the case be handed over to the

Central Bureau of Investigation The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the domestic crime investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and gover ...

. Dileep filed an additional plea for accessing video footage of the incident. The plea was denied by both the Angamaly Magistrate Court and the

. Mukul Rohatgi represented him in the case. In October 2018, Dileep was granted bail by the Kerala High Court. In April 2019, the

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

froze charges against him until the court has given an independent verdict on the case. In May 2019, the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

stayed his trial until his plea for footage is considered. On 30 November, the court turned down his plea, rather allowed to inspect its content, or have a second opinion as to whether the video is genuine. In December 2021, film director Balachandra Kumar gave an interview to a news channel where he alleged that he was witness to discussions among people including Dileep, regarding turning witnesses hostile, attacking police officers leading the investigation and being in illegal possession of the assault video. He also claimed he had audio recordings of these conversations. Based on these claims, Kerala police registered a new case against Dileep for conspiracy to assault investigating officers. On 7 February 2022, he and others were granted anticipatory bail by

in conspiracy case.

Playback singing

Filmography

Awards

; Kerala State Film Awards * 2011: Best Actor – '' Vellaripravinte Changathi'' * 2005: Special Mention – '' Chanthupottu'' * 2004: Second Best Film – ''

Kathavasheshan ''Kadhavaseshan'' () is a 2004 Malayalam Mystery film, mystery drama film written and directed by T. V. Chandran, starring Dileep (actor), Dileep and Jyothirmayi in the lead roles. Veteran Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali actress Gita Dey made a s ...

'' (producer) * 2002: Special Jury Award – '' Kunjikoonan'' ;

* 2002: Best Actor in Malayalam – '' Meesha Madhavan'' ; Asianet Film Awards * 2002: Best Actor – '' Kunjikoonan'' * 2004: Special Jury Award – ''

'' * 2008: Best Film – '' Twenty:20'' * 2010: Most Popular Actor – ''Body Guard'' * 2013: Award of Excellence for completing 20 years in Malayalam film industry ; Kerala Film Critics Association Awards * 2001: Best Supporting Actor-Joker * 2004: Best Actor – Kadhavaseshan * 2005: Best Actor – ''Chanthupottu'' ;

South Indian International Movie Awards The South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA Awards) rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appreciate and hono ...

* 2014: Best Actor – '' Sound Thoma'' ; Vanitha Film Awards * 2013: Best Popular Actor ;Jaihind Film Awards * 2010: Most Popular Actor Award * 2011: Chalachitra Pratibha Award * 2012: Best Actor – '' Mayamohini'', ''Arike'' * 2013: Most Popular Actor Award * 2014: Most Popular Actor Award ;Amrita Film Awards * 2010: Most Popular Actor Award

References

External links

* {{Authority control Living people 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Film directors from Kochi Film producers from Kochi Filmfare Awards South winners Indian male film actors Kerala State Film Award winners Maharaja's College, Ernakulam alumni Malayalam film producers Malayalam comedians Male actors from Kochi Male actors in Malayalam cinema People from Aluva Actors from Ernakulam district South Indian International Movie Awards winners Kerala Film Critics Awards winners 1967 births