Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly a yr after the Affiliation of Malayalam Movement Image Artists (AMMA) elected its first-ever lady president following the Hema Committee report, the group is in disaster. Among the affiliation’s ladies members have accused former president Shwetha Menon of making an attempt to impose a “Bharatiya Janata Social gathering agenda” and communalize the actors’ our bodies because the management race intensifies.
Menon had introduced his resignation from his submit and AMMA membership two weeks in the past following allegations of economic misconduct.
On Saturday, a gaggle of ladies members led by actor Mala Parvathy held a press convention claiming that the group’s first feminine president had tried to advance a political and communal agenda inside the affiliation.
They claimed that through the normal meeting, allegations had been raised that Menon had “secured Rs 2,000 crore from the BJP”. In addition to Malla, the affiliation’s former joint normal secretary and actor Ansiba Hassan, and actors Usha Haseena and Maya Viswanath additionally attended the press convention.
Ms. Malla additionally performed a video purportedly exhibiting a Bharatiya Janata Social gathering official claiming that the trade physique was “giving Rs 15 million to AMMA” by way of Menon.
“It’s an official of a political celebration who claims {that a} multinational firm will convey cash to the group. She (the official) just isn’t even a member of AMMA. We have no idea what her connection is with AMMA. We don’t want funds from that firm,” Mara stated.
She added that the group doesn’t oppose the private political affiliations of its members, however opposes any try to impose a political celebration’s agenda on AMMA.
Mara additional claimed that former joint secretary Hassan was compelled to resign as a result of a communal narrative was constructed round her. Based on Mara, Menon pressured her to help allegations that Hassan was making an attempt to transform members of the movie fraternity to Islam and threatened to isolate her from the movie trade if she refused.
“I imagine that this group shouldn’t be led by individuals who search to divide others on widespread strains. I imagine that I’ve a accountability to Kerala and I need to stop one other ‘Kerala story’ from unfolding right here,” she stated.
Advocate KS Shaiju, president of the BJP’s unit in Ernakulam, informed ThePrint that the celebration was not conscious of the AMMA situation. “The Bharatiya Janata Social gathering just isn’t involved about these allegations as a result of it’s a battle between folks inside the group,” Shaiju stated.
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Controversial previous, new disaster
AMMA, based in 1994, elected a girl to its prime management for the primary time in August 2025 following the Hema Fee’s report. The elections had been necessitated after the Mohanlal-led govt committee resigned in August 2024 following the discharge of a report documenting widespread sexual harassment and systemic discrimination confronted by ladies within the Malayalam movie trade.
The committee had submitted its report back to the Kerala authorities in December 2019, nevertheless it was solely made public in August 2024.
Menon was elected as president, Kukku Parameswaran as normal secretary, Lakshmi Priya and Jayan Cherthala as vice-presidents and Unni Sivapal as treasurer, whereas Hassan had earlier been elected joint secretary unopposed.
The present disaster dates again to February, when Hassan resigned following a sequence of inside disputes. One of many triggers was her opposition to Vennala Tikattu Sri Mahadeva Temple Belief sponsoring AMMA alumni occasions.
Hassan stated she confronted collective feedback and harassment inside the govt committee over the difficulty, and claimed that actor Tiny Tom known as her a “jihad”. She additionally alleged that actor Lakshmi Priya had filed a false grievance in opposition to her, on account of which she was illegally detained by the police.
Dramatic scenes unfolded at AMMA’s normal assembly in Kochi on June 21, when Menon introduced his resignation from the group together with 17 govt committee members amid mounting allegations of economic irregularities and inside discord. Saying her resignation, she stated she didn’t need to proceed to be a “puppet” within the palms of sure folks.
However on Friday, she declared on social media that she had not “deserted” AMMA and questioned the legitimacy of the particular committee arrange after her June 21 resignation.
Shortly after, an audio clip of a purported telephone dialog between Menon and actor and MLA Ramesh Pisharody surfaced, during which Menon was allegedly heard alleging that there was a coordinated try by some members to overthrow the elected govt committee and alleging irregularities within the accounts of the earlier committee.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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