Malayalam film actors body AMMA governing council resigns after infighting

THe 17-member governing council of the connexion of Malayalam pic Artists (AMMA), including its number one adult female chairman Shweta Menon, stepped down at the general body meeting of the outfit on Sunday, following severe infighting and allegations of financial mismanagement.Menon also resigned from primary membership of the actors’ body, citing an “agenda to remove us from our positions”. The abrupt move comes less than a year after Menon and Kukku Parameswaran were elected president and general secretary respectively of AMMA, the first time women occupied the top two posts of the influential actors’ body.The governing council’s resignation came after a section of the outfit’s members moved a no-confidence motion against it, alleging failure to maintain proper financial accounting and to ensure the smooth running of day-to-day affairs. Menon-led council declared that it was stepping down before the motion could be moved, members said.Actor Jagadish, a member of the governing body, told reporters that there were organisational lapses on the part of the existing executive committee that governed the outfit.“The existing committee took a lot of steps for the welfare of the outfit in the last few months. But there were some organisational lapses on their part too. Maybe, it could be due to their inexperience. The governing council could not present the financial accounts of the outfit in a proper way. The treasurer was on leave for some time,” he said.“There were also personal disputes between members of the outfit which were not handled well. Such disputes leaked out to the media before the executive committee discussed it. Such actions led to AMMA’s image taking a hit in front of the general public,” added Jagadish.The actor informed that an ad-hoc committee led by actor-director Ramesh Pisharody, also an MLA, will take charge soon. The committee, over the next three months, will take crucial decisions on the next general body meeting and organisational elections.At the same time, Menon claimed that the financial accounts of the outfit were handled well by the council led by her, denying allegations of mismanagement.“There was a clear agenda to push us out of our positions. All the financial accounts under our committee are in proper shape. But the accounts under the previous council led by Baburaj were not in the right shape. If we don’t remain as puppets in the hands of certain individuals, we cannot run this organisation. That’s what I have understood,” she said.Menon had taken charge as the first woman president of the actors body on August 15, 2025 for a three-year term after she defeated actor Devan in the internal elections. Her victory last year came after the actors’ body was embroiled in allegations of sexual harassment against certain members following the publication of the Hema panel report on the working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry.In the last few weeks, AMMA had grabbed headlines due to personal mudslinging between its members over charges of communal remarks and sponsorship of its events. FIRs were registered on the basis of the allegations as well. While treasurer Unni Shivapal was suspended after a woman member accused him of mentally harassing her, Ansiba resigned from her position as joint secretary after claiming inaction over her complaint against fellow actor Tini Tom over some communal remarks he allegedly passed against her.