4 min readHyderabad, ThiruvanananathapuramUpdated: Jun 21, 2026 06:51 PM IST
The first woman president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), Shwetha Menon, resigned from the post on Sunday along with the other office-bearers following a dispute within the actors’ body.
Menon, who was elected as president of the three-decade-old association, announced that she was also stepping down as a member of AMMA.
The 17-member executive body of AMMA, led by Shwetha Menon, had assumed office in August last year after the previous committee, headed by Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, was forced to step down in 2024 in the wake of the controversies surrounding the release of the Justice Hema Committee report on the treatment of women in the Malayalam film industry.
Menon announced the decision at the end of the annual general body meeting of the association held in Kochi. “There are attempts to take the association into the hands of the tainted. I cannot remain as a puppet,” she told the media.
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Following the resignation of the executive committee, an ad hoc committee led by actor-turned-MLA Ramesh Pisharody was constituted until a new committee is elected.
Mohanlal on Sunday issued a statement calling for unity within the association.
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Heated exchanges
From the outset of the annual general body meeting, members engaged in heated exchanges over AMMA’s annual receipts and payments accounts. When the association’s general secretary, Cuckoo Parameswaran, presented the accounts, a section of members led by Siddque and Edavela Babu raised a protest alleging a lack of transparency. More members then joined in, leading to a stalemate in passing the annual statement of accounts. Subsequently, Shwetha Menon announced the resignation of the entire executive committee as well as her decision to quit the body.
Actor Baburaj told the media that an ad hoc committee, headed by Ramesh Pisharadi, has been established.
Simmering tensions
AMMA has been under close public scrutiny since the Justice Hema Committee report led to accusations that the actors’ body did not do enough to prevent sexual misconduct against women working in the Malayalam film industry.
Several male actors in the film body were accused of sexual misconduct soon after the Hema Committee report came out in 2024.
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Moreover, allegations against actor Dileep, who was acquitted in December 2025 by a sessions court of conspiracy charges in the 2017 actor sexual assault case, is still persistent among a section within AMMA, sources said. “There is still a strong Dileep lobby in AMMA. There are other lobbies led by other actors who are accused of sexual misconduct. Hence it is very difficult to run the ship in AMMA,” a source said.
Also Read – From ‘jihadi’ remark to police complaint: New row rocks AMMA as Ansiba Hassan, Tiny Tom lock horns
Trouble in AMMA started brewing once again with actor and former general secretary of AMMA, Ansiba Hassan, raising a character assassination complaint against actor Tini Tom. Hassan, who is known for her role in the Mohanlal-starrer Drishyam series of films, had the support of other members of AMMA, who issued public statements against the artiste body’s management. AMMA issued a gag order to actors to prevent them from appearing before the media to make statements in this case. “This was strongly opposed by a section within AMMA,” a source said.
“Despite electing a woman president, AMMA remained a male organisation led by male stars,” the source added.
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