Dileep, Indian actor and producer
Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan (born 27 October 1968), better known by his stage name Dileep, is an Indian actor, producer, and businessman who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. He has acted in more than 150 films and has won several awards, including four Kerala State Film Awards and a Filmfare Awards South.
Beginning as an impressionist in stage shows, Dileep attained recognition after being cast on the television comedy series Comicola on Asianet and its successor Cinemala. Dilieep with Nadirshah produced and performed in the audio cassette series De Maveli Kombathu, a successful sketch comedy, which later turned into a television series on Asianet. He began his film career as an assistant director 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 principal role 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 2003, Dileep founded the film production company Graand Production, its debut film was C.I.D. Moosa.
Beside films, Dileep owns the multiplex theatre D Cinemaas and the restaurant chain Dhe Puttu. Dileep was married to actress Manju Warrier from 1998 to 2015. He married actress Kavya Madhavan in 2016. In 2017, he was arrested for alleged conspiracy in relation to a case of abduction and assault of actress Bhavana before being released on bail after three months.