Padmanabhan Gopalakrishnan (Malayalam: ദീലീപ്) (born 27 October 1968), better known by his stage name Dileep, is an Indian film actor and producer. He started his film career as an assistant director to Kamal. He rose into prominence as a lead actor during the early 2000s. Dileep, who began his career as a mimicry artist, excels in films particularly of the comedy genre. He went on to produce the highest grossing film in Malayalam cinema, Joshi's Twenty:20 (2008).