The “historic” move does not bring results for AMMA

Attempts by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) to shake off the stain of infamy from its star-studded body have failed with the inglorious exit of its “historic” female leadership. The resignation of AMMA’s 17-member executive committee, led by president Shweta Menon and general secretary Cuckoo Parameswaran, on Sunday, less than a year after their election, re-exposed the structural problems embedded in the 32-year-old forum of the film fraternity.

Ms. Menon was elected president of AMMA in August 2025 at a time when the Malayalam film industry as a whole was looked down upon by almost everyone amid a series of sex allegations against its members sparked by the release of the Hema Committee report. The election of its first female president during an apparent gender audit of the organization helped AMMA score some perception points despite lingering doubts about old customs.

Ms. Menon’s striking remark that one has to be a puppet to run an organization and she was not ready to stay, reaffirms questions about the patriarchal structure of the organization that refuses to break up. While allegations of administrative inefficiency that led to the downfall of the leadership is another matter to examine, the series of events leading up to it reveal that there were not many who wished the “historic” regime to last long.

AMMA has been in the news for more bad reasons than good in the recent past as its members have washed a lot of dirty laundry in public. The association has recently found itself in an embarrassing situation with a number of police complaints against some members, including officials. On no such occasion has the film forum been able to resolve the matter through talks, despite high claims of fraternal ties. The organization’s failure to take all its members into confidence has been exposed time and time again. Even the serious allegation that actress Tini Tom made general and defamatory remarks against actress Ansiba Hassan, forcing her to resign as joint secretary, was not immediately dealt with within the organization and was left to the police and court.

“Elite Club”

The inability of the organization to act as a trade body that has to deal with problems of all kinds was evident throughout the incidents. The latest episode also reaffirms the association’s long-standing image as an elite club with little mechanism to resolve internal crises. It always seemed like a family that preferred to play with their father’s obedient figures.

The first task of the ad-hoc committee headed by Ramesh Pisharody, tasked with leading the organization till its next elections, will be to get everything in order and put the house in order. The ad-hoc era is likely to reveal the path AMMA would like to take towards the next elections.

Published – 21 Jun 2026 21:57 IST