The 17-member board of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), including its first president Shweta Menon, resigned at the association’s general body meeting on Sunday, following intense infighting and allegations of financial mismanagement.
Menon also resigned from the primary membership of the representative body, citing an “agenda to keep us out of office.” The surprise move comes less than a year after Menon and Koko Parameswaran were elected president and secretary general respectively of AMMA, marking the first time women have held the top two positions in the influential body of representatives.
The board’s resignation came after a section of members of the group moved a no-confidence motion against it, alleging failure to maintain proper financial accounting and ensure smooth running of day-to-day affairs. Members said the Menon-led council announced that it would step down before the motion could be tabled.
Actor Jagadish, a member of the governing body, told reporters that there were regulatory lapses on the part of the current executive committee that governs the outfit.
“The current committee has taken a lot of steps for the welfare of the team in the last few months. But there have been some organizational lapses on their part as well. It may be due to their inexperience. The board has not been able to present the financial accounts of the club in a proper manner. The treasurer has been on leave for some time,” he said.
“There were also personal disputes among the members of the outfit and they were not handled well. Such disputes were leaked to the media before the executive committee discussed them. Such actions resulted in AMMA’s image taking a hit in front of the general public,” Jagadish added.
The actor informed that an ad hoc committee led by actor-director Ramesh Pisharody, who is also an MLA, will take charge soon. During the next three months, the committee will take critical decisions regarding the next general body meeting and organizational elections.
Meanwhile, Menon claimed that the group’s financial accounts were well handled by the council she leads, denying allegations of mismanagement.
“There was a clear agenda to get us out of our positions. All the financial accounts in our committee are in order. But the accounts under the previous council led by Baburaj were not in proper shape. If we do not remain puppets in the hands of certain individuals, we will not be able to run this organisation. This is what I understood,” she said.
Menon assumed the position of the first woman to head the body of representatives on August 15, 2025 for a three-year term after defeating representative Devan in the internal elections. Her win last year came after the casting body was embroiled in allegations of sexual harassment against some members following the publication of the Hema Commission report on women’s working conditions in the Malayalam film industry.
In the past few weeks, AMMA has made headlines due to personal defamation among its members due to accusations of societal statements and sponsorship of its events. FIRs were registered based on the allegations as well. While treasurer Unni Shivapal was suspended after a member accused him of mentally harassing her, Ansiba resigned from her position as joint secretary after she claimed no action was taken on her complaint against fellow actor Tiny Tom over some cultist remarks he allegedly made against her.
