The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (Amma) is experiencing significant internal unrest following the resignation of key leaders and primary members. The turmoil intensified after Shweta Menon, the first female president of the association, along with the entire 17-member executive committee, stepped down in the wake of a contentious annual general body meeting held in Kochi.

Menon's resignation came amid allegations of mismanagement and factional disputes within the organization. In a statement following the meeting, Menon expressed frustration, suggesting that the association was being manipulated by certain accused individuals and insisting that one had to be “a puppet to run the organisation.” She also relinquished her primary membership of Amma, marking a notable departure from the group.

The conflict emerged during discussions over the association’s financial accounts, with actors Siddique, Edavela Babu, and Jagadish raising concerns about transparency and lapses in accounting. Jagadish, also a member of Amma, characterized the committee led by Menon as failing to present the accounts clearly and attributed the leadership conflicts to these unresolved issues. According to him, the discord was brought into the public domain, adversely affecting the association’s reputation.

Prior to this upheaval, Amma’s current executive body had assumed office in August 2024, succeeding the previous committee headed by superstar Mohanlal. That former leadership had been ousted following serious allegations of sexual harassment and abuse within the Malayalam film industry. These allegations surfaced in connection with the Hema committee report, which was commissioned by the Kerala state government after a highly publicized case of abduction and sexual assault involving a prominent Malayalam actress in February 2017. Although the report was submitted in December 2019, it was only publicly released in August 2024.

In response to the recent resignations, Mohanlal called for unity within the association, urging members to move past the disagreements. Meanwhile, an ad hoc committee comprising nine members has been instituted to oversee Amma’s affairs temporarily. The committee is led by actor and comedian Ramesh Pisharody, who is also a legislator representing Palakkad. Jagadish confirmed that Pisharody’s appointment was reached by consensus among committee members, with Mohanlal absent during the selection process.

P.C. Vishnunadh, Kerala’s minister for cultural affairs and cinema, declined to comment on the situation, describing it as an internal matter for Amma that does not merit governmental involvement. The association now faces the challenge of restoring cohesion amid ongoing tensions and scrutiny.