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I have been married off 10 times: Dileep

Dileep laughs off rumours that appear every time his film releases, speaks about the unique relationship with his daughter and latest film Life of Josutty
This year has been a mixed bag for actor Dileep and Chandrettan Evideya came as the much needed breath of fresh air for the actor who had also been going through trying times personally.
The guy-next-door image has been his trump card and though critics often accuse him of playing to the gallery, Dileep is well-aware of his strengths. He plays the title role in Jeethu Joseph’s Life of Josutty, which has been shot is some scenic locations in New Zealand. Catching up with him on the sets of Two Countries, he looks younger though tired after a long day’s shoot.
Life of Josutty takes a look at the life of a commoner over a period of time and talks about his family, relationships, romance, and heartbreaks. “Life of Josutty is a realistic movie and has no added histrionics to it,” Dileep says.
This is the second time that Dileep has joined hands with Jeethu after My Boss and he says, “My Boss had life in it but it was slightly exaggerated with slapstick elements but Life of Josutty is very realistic and has no show of heroism anywhere. My character has not been whitewashed to show how heroic he is but rather strives to show the reality of a man struggling with various issues. It is a very genuine approach.”
Dileep has been grappling with his personal issues but that has never showed in his personal interactions or his work. His daughter Meenakshi is with him and the devoted father is trying his best to spend as much time with his daughter as possible.
Meenakshi had accompanied him to New Zealand and he says, “She was there along with Jeethu’s family for some days, but because of her school schedule, she had to return. My daughter knows my busy schedule because she has been seeing me leave for work when she leaves for school and I return late. By God’s grace, she is mature for her age and understands my work and takes things lightly.”
Janapriyanayakan is the tag the audience has bestowed on him, but that tag may have limited his range pigeonholing him into comedy or slapstick roles which would be the death knell for the actor in Dileep. His attempts to play serious characters have not been received well, but Dileep opines: “This is a tag my audience has given me and the onus of providing entertainment is upon me. They do not like to see me being sad but like my naughtiness and one-liners. My interactions with my fans have made me realise that they expect me to tickle their funny bone. Once in a while, I try to break the monotony by doing films like Love 24X7, but the audience gives their verdict very soon about what roles they prefer me in.”
Films have become an extension of his family and he has always lent a helping hand to his co-artistes, be it KPAC Lalitha or Kollam Thulasi. “I try to help in whatever way I can because I value relationships. I am not the only one, but most of us artistes do look out for our colleagues,” he states.
Dileep recently decided to take up the complete education expenses of two orphan kids about whom he read in the papers.
The bane of being popular is the intense public scrutiny actors are subjected to and Dileep has been their favourite punching bag in recent times with gossips fixing his marriage date time and again.
He replies very humorously: “I have already been married off 10 times and this news especially spreads whenever a film of mine gets ready for release. They also have a date of June 25 every year. I am proud of Malayali’s intelligence; please don’t make me change that opinion! If I have any special event in my life, I will surely announce it myself because I owe my career to my audience and my life is an open book. What hurt me are the reviews of my films before or after it releases without any substantial ground or ethics. Now I do not bother about any gossips because I prefer to laugh it off since laughter is the best medicine.”
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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