The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) witnessed a dramatic upheaval on Sunday as its president, Shwetha Menon, and the entire 17-member executive committee resigned following a heated annual general body meeting. The resignations stemmed from escalating disputes over financial transparency and internal governance, marking a significant crisis for the actors' organization.
Stormy Meeting Over Financial Reports
The general body meeting, which lasted several hours, was marked by intense arguments over the passage of the annual report and statement of accounts. A section of members alleged a lack of clarity in the income and expenditure details presented by General Secretary Kuku Parameswaran. The disputes escalated, leading Menon to announce her resignation as president and later confirm that the entire executive committee had stepped down.
Menon told reporters, "All the executive committee members have resigned. I have resigned my membership and come out of the organisation." She also resigned her primary membership of AMMA, severing all ties with the organization. Menon alleged that the association's treasurer was unavailable and that accounts for a specific period could not be produced. "The treasurer of the organisation was absconding. When an AMMA staffer was terminated and later filed a complaint, the issue was not addressed. Instead, the treasurer went missing, and therefore we could not produce the accounts for that period," she stated.
Allegations of Hidden Agendas
Menon further claimed that efforts were underway to hand over the organization to individuals against whom allegations had previously been raised, echoing concerns voiced by some women members. "An effort is being made to return the organisation to the hands of people against whom allegations have been raised. That was an agenda," she alleged, without elaborating. She also asserted that some members had been pressured into signing a no-confidence motion against the executive committee. "Without informing us, there was an agenda to remove us. I have a personality, and I will speak my mind. If we were puppets, we could not have run this organisation. But I am not ready to become a puppet," she added.
Previous Committee Issues
According to Menon, the accounts maintained by the present committee from September 1 onwards were in order, but several unresolved issues remained from the tenure of the previous committee. "From September 1 onwards, all our accounts were in order. But there were several issues related to the earlier committee," she said, expressing relief at having severed ties with the organization. Veteran actor Mallika Sukumaran acknowledged that the executive committee had committed mistakes, though she did not elaborate. She emphasized that the organization should be led by people who understand the film industry, are willing to learn, and can articulate issues effectively.
Setback for Historic Women-Led Leadership
The resignations mark a significant setback for the leadership elected in August last year, when, for the first time in AMMA's history, women were chosen to head the organization. Menon and Kuku Parameswaran were elected president and general secretary, respectively, while Ansiba Hasan and Lakshmi Priya were elected joint secretary and vice-president. Ansiba Hasan had recently resigned from her post, citing internal differences with certain members. Sources indicated that an ad hoc committee is likely to be constituted to run the organization until a new leadership is put in place, with a decision expected shortly.
Government Response
Reacting to the developments, State Minister for Cultural Affairs and Cinema P C Vishnunadh said the matter was an internal issue of the organization, and there was no reason for government intervention. "AMMA is one among many organisations in Kerala. Even if some of its members are MLAs or politicians, when they function within that organisation, they are actors. Let them resolve the issues within the organisation themselves. There is no need for the government to intervene in such matters," he told the media in Thiruvananthapuram.
