Dileep

Dileep Biography

Dileep is a popular actor associated with Malayalam cinema. Though he is quite successful through his slapstick comedy films, he is widely regarded as the most entertaining hero of Malayalam film industry. In a career spanning to more than two decades, he has appeared in more than 125 films, and he played solo lead role in around 100 films. Started off his career as a mimicry artist, he had a struggling early phase of film career in the 1990s, and with the super success of Meesa Madhavan in 2002 and a series of other hits, he emerged as the youngest superstar of Malayalam cinema.

Over the years, he also emerged as one of the driving powers of Malayalam cinema, and earned the popular title, ‘Jananayakan’ owing to his popularity among the masses. However he got arrested in July 2017 by Kerala Police and remanded for conspiracy of kidnapping and rape attempt on a popular Malayalam film actress. The arrest was only a few months after marriage with his co-star Kavya Madhavan, one of the popular faces of Malayalam cinema. He was earlier married to popular actress of 1990s, Manju Warrier and has one daughter Meenakshi in this wedlock. The couple ended their married in 2015, almost 17 years after the marriage in 1998.

Dileep’s real name is GopalaKrishnan. He was born on 27 October 1967 in Edavanakad of Ernakulam district. Born to Padmanabhan Pillai and Sarojam, he has two younger siblings. Dileep started his career as a mimicry artist while doing his graduation in Ernakulam Maharaja's College in the late 1980s. He seriously pursued mimicry after that. Dileep started his career at Kalabhavan, working as a mimicry artist in early 1990s, and has been associated with many mimicry artists of that era, who later earned popularity in film world. Dileep rendered his voice as Maveli (in actor Innocent’s voice) in Onam-based comic albums "De Maveli Kombathu” aside Nadirshah and Abi which became an instant hit in the early 1990s, and later the friends released an audio cassette every year.

His success in mimicry also paved his way to films. He started off as an assistant director under Kamal, who gave his first brief role in Ennodu Ishtam Koodamo in 1992. The director also recommended his name to other directors, and in 1994, he received his first full-length role in Maanathe Kottaram, where he formed a part of ensemble cast. He was mostly associated with multi-starrer movies in the 1990s and got limited success as well. He worked with Mammootty in Kai Kodanna Nilavu, and with Suresh Gopi in Thenkasi Pattanam which was a major success.

He acted aside his future wife Manju Warrier for the first time in Sallapam in 1996, followed by Ee Puzhayum Kadannu the same year and got married in 1998. Manju was the top actress of Malayalam cinema and Dileep, only a struggling actor then. Manju retired from films after marriage. Dileep was the first hero of both Manju Warrier and Kavya Madhavan, and the later made her film debut with Chandranudikkunna Dikkil in 1999 which was a major hit at box office. They shared screen space in hit film Thenkasipattanam, and played siblings in Dost. With the super success of Meesa Madhavan, the jodi became the most celebrated pair of Malayalam cinema who went on to work together in double dozen of films. Very soon unconfirmed stories of their linkup also surfaced. But both of them denied till their marriage happened in October 2016. It was the second marriage of both these actors. Some reports have surfaced in the recent times telling that, Dileep was already married before his marriage with Manju Warrier and was not legally ended.

As an actor some of his big hits include Meesa madhavan, Kalyana Raman, CID Moosa, Twenty-20, Joker, Kunjikoonam, Two Countries, Chanthupottu, Vettam, Vellaripravinte Changathi, Thenkasi pattanam, Chandranudikkunna Dikkil, Chandretta Evideyaa, Love 24*7, Lion, Runway, Thilakkam, Sound Thoma, Ring Master, Christian Brothers, Passenger, Karyasthan and many more. He won state award for best actor for Vellaripravinte Changathi and Special Jury Award for Chanthupottu and Kunjikoonan. He was the producer of Twenty-20 which starred almost all active artists from the industry, and the movie’s success also helped Malayalam cinema to come out of one of its worst times in the recent times. The movie starring both the superstars in lead roles became the highest grosser of Malayalam cinema when got released in 2008.

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Updated: September 24, 2017