Dileep's Extra Marital Affair With Kavya Madhavan And Divorce From Manju Warrier Led To His Downfall

Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, popularly known as Dileep, is a prominent name in the Malayalam film industry. He is hailed for his comic timing and earned an immense fan following within a short duration of his career. Dileep started his career as a mimic artist in stage shows, Dileep began his career in mainstream cinema by working as an assistant director under Kamal in nine films.

In 1992, Dileep made his acting debut in a minor role, but it was the 1996 films, Ee Puzhayum Kadannu and Sallapam which got him immense fame. With superhits like Kuberan, Meesa Madhavan, C.I.D Moosa, Chanthupoottu, Kalyanaraman, Ishtam, Vettam, Bodyguard, and many more, Dileep established himself in the Malayalam film industry. With more than 150 films to his credit, Dileep gained the moniker ‘Janapriyanayakan’.

Apart from films, Dileep also owns the multiplex theatre, D Cinemaas and the restaurant chain, Dhe Puttu. Despite his flourishing career, what led to Dileep’s downfall? It is his turbulent personal life which put an end to his career, and once a popular actor in the industry suddenly lost his charm among the masses.

Dileep eloped with popular actress, Manju Warrier and secretly married her

Dileep fell in love with popular Malayalam actress, Manju Warrier while working with her in the 90s. Since their parents were against their marriage, the duo eloped and had a secret marriage in 1998. Missing reports of the actress were also filed in the newspapers.

Later it was confirmed that she ran away with the actor to marry him. Soon after their marriage, Manju, who was a leading actress and dancer left her career to take care of her family. They became parents to a baby girl, whom they named  Meenakshi.

Dileep’s extramarital affair with Kavya Madhavan broke his 17 years of marriage to Manju Warrier

When Dileep started his career, his pairing with Manju was a hit. Soon after Manju left her acting career, he was paired opposite, Kavya Madhavan, another leading actress in the Malayalam film industry. Soon Dileep and Kavya’s on-screen chemistry with the actor paved way for their off-screen affair.

There were multiple reports that Dileep and Kavya were dating, however, when Manju got proof of his affair, she filed for divorce in 2014. The couple was granted divorce in 2015 after 17 years of marital bliss, and their daughter, Meenakshi, who was a teenager chose to live with her father. Manju respected her daughter’s decision and stated that she would not fight for her daughter’s custody as she knows how much Meenakshi loves her father.

Dileep’s involvement in the abduction and sexual assault case of a Malayalam actress

Soon after his divorce from Manju, Dileep married Kavya Madhavan in 2016. However, in 2017, when Malayalam actress, Bhavana Menon was abducted and was sexually assaulted by a group of men, Dileep’s name surfaced in the case. After several interrogations, Dileep was arrested and was named as the mastermind behind Bhavana’s assault, as she was his ex-wife Manju Warrier's friend and had reportedly informed her about his alleged affair with Kavya Madhavan.

After spending 85 days in jail, Dileep was granted bail. The case against him is still put on hold. During the trial, his ex-wife, Manju appeared before the court and spoke for the first time about her divorce from the actor and his extra-marital affair being the reason behind the same. In her words:

“I divorced Dileep in 2015 and the extramarital relationship between him and Kavya was the reason behind it. Even before we separated two years before that, there was constant friction between us regarding his relationship with Kavya. And at times, that has paved way for major fights between us. What I heard from the assaulted actor only reinforced what I already knew about the two.”

Dileep’s comeback to cinema with the film, 'Prince and Family'

After years of controversy and tragic downfall, Dileep made his comeback with the film, Prince And Family in May 2025. The film, a social comedy will see Dileep in a titular role. While the film had a decent opening, it is getting mixed reviews from critics and audiences.

Dileep, who was once hailed as ‘people’s actor’ lost audience’s faith with his back-to-back controversies. The actor is struggling hard to revive his flourishing career and has high hopes from his fans.

Also Read: Malayalam Actor, Asif Ali Fell Head-Over-Heels In Love With Mamta Mohandas Before Marrying Wife Zama

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