KOCHI: It is not AMMA (mother) but A.M.M.A, emphasised the Women In Cinema Collective (WCC), as the WCC Facebook page, for the first time on Sunday, pointedly used the acronym A.M.M.A, instead of AMMA, commonly used to refer to the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, sending a strong message to the office bearers of the apex body of actors.
Soon after the recent developments, there was much criticism from public groups and prominent personalities against the artists’ union for using the word ‘amma’ in Malayalam, rather than the acronym. Now, WCC has expressed a similar view.
Meanwhile, 14 women artists, on Sunday, spoken out against AMMA and said they will not take membership in the association.
The list of actors includes Abhija Sivakala, Amala, Archana Padmini, Darsana Rajendran, Divya Gopinath, Divya Prabha, Jolly Chirayath, Kani Kusruthy, Renjini Peer, Sajitha Madathil, Samyuktha Nambiar, Santhi Balachandran, Shylaja Ambu and Sujatha Jananethri.
Levying `1 lakh for the membership which is not democratic as there is no concept of wage equality in AMMA; the approach to the actor abduction case which leaves them unsure whether the association can ensure the safety of the women members; the irresponsible and dubious silence of the AMMA office-bearers against the demands raised by WCC members; and the AMMA heads’ lack of understanding of women’s rights were cited as reasons for not taking membership.
Meanwhile, the Network of Women in Media India also strongly condemned AMMA’s misogynist attitude in the actor abduction case.
“Even at the AMMA’s fund-raising show, they performed a skit to ridicule the members of WCC. We are aghast that the masters of AMMA could find patriarchy-conditioned women to pen the distastefully anti-women skit and enact it,” observed NWMI.
More support
Though the office bearers of AMMA are yet to come up with a proper statement in response to the public sentiment, more and more film bodies are extending support to WCC and the survivor. The latest in the list are the Kannada Film Industry (KFI) and the Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE). In a letter to AMMA general secretary Idavela Babu, KFI and FIRE asked the association to revoke the decision to reinstate Dileep.
The letter was signed by 50 members including Prakash Rai, Kavitha Lankesh, Roopa Iyer, Chetan, Sruthi Hariharan, Shraddha Srinath, Diganth, Meghana Gaonka and Rakshit Shetty.