Ganesan Mahadevan (1 August 1944 – 9 November 2024), known by his stage name Delhi Ganesh, was an Indian actor who mostly acted in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials.

He was best known for his recurring collaborations with Kamal Haasan including Nayakan (1987), Apoorva Sagodharagal (1989), Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990), Avvai Shanmugi (1996) and Thenali (2001).

He played as an ideal foil to Kamal Haasan in most of his films by emotionally connecting with the audience through his mannerism, screen presence, body language, and effective use of words in dialogue delivery.

[12] His screen presence was given paramount importance in Nayakan as his role was designed in a way to support Velu Nayakkar's transition from a slum dweller to an underworld don.

[13] He reprised his role of helping a smuggler's transition to an underworld gangster from Nayakan in Gautham Vasudev Menon's directorial venture Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022), making a cameo appearance.

[15] His menacing villainous role in Apoorva Sagodharargal as Francis Anbarasu became talk of the town indicating the versatility in Delhi Ganesh's range of acting skills.

[16] In Singeetam Srinivasa Rao's directorial, Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990), he played the character of a Palakkad-based cook and his humorous role received acclaim while his dialogue delivery with a Malayalam accent mixing with Tamil was also applauded.

[19][13] Ganesh was roped in as a cast member on the recommendation of Vijay for the film Thamizhan (2002) as the filmmakers and production crew were awaiting for a replacement to shoot a comedy track sequence.

Ganesh's phrases "Cigaretta Niruthu, Enakku Discipline Thaan Mukkiyam" during his verbal arguments with Vijay in the comedy track sequences of Thamizhan became viral among fans.

[27][28] In 2021, Delhi Ganesh in an exclusive interview with The New Indian Express, insisted that he received acclaim and fame due to his frequent collaborations with Kamal Haasan.

[9] In December 2023, he was conferred with the Gowri Manohari Award for his contributions to theatre and was honored at the 36th Winter Music Festival hosted by Sruthilaya Kendra, a trust founded by mridangam artist Karaikudi Mani.