KOCHI: The crisis within the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) deepened on Monday with actors Revathy and Padmapriya resigning from their primary membership in the organisation, saying it had increasingly become shaped by "patriarchy and power politics".
In a joint statement released on social media, the two actors said that for nearly a decade, their demand had remained unchanged - safer workplaces, dignity, accountability and equal treatment for every member. "The price of asking, for us, has been silence and distance. From colleagues, from friends, from spaces that once felt like home. Still, we stayed. For hope has a remarkable ability to survive disappointment," they said.
The duo further stated that resignations following the release of the Hema Committee report were "not an act of principle" but "an escape from accountability".
Revathy and Padmapriya are members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), formed in 2017 to push for structural reforms in the Malayalam film industry after the 2017 actor assault case.
"AMMA was meant to stand as a collective voice for all actors. But it has become increasingly shaped by patriarchy and power politics, weakening its founding ideals. Walking away for us now is not defeat. It is self-respect," the statement said, adding that they would continue to work towards a more equitable film industry outside the organisation.
Their resignations come at a time when AMMA is facing one of the biggest crises in its history.
The executive committee headed by president Shwetha Menon resigned following the association's annual general body meeting on June 21, where members voted to remove the committee over alleged irregularities and appointed an ad hoc committee headed by actor and MLA Ramesh Pisharody to oversee the organisation until fresh elections.
However, Menon later asserted that she continued to be AMMA president and described the ad hoc committee as "illegitimate". The standoff intensified after Pisharody stepped down from the ad hoc committee last week.
The turmoil has been compounded by fresh allegations from actors, including Ansiba Hassan and Maala Parvathi, who accused Menon and her supporters of communal polarisation.Meanwhile, industry stalwarts Mammootty and Mohanlal have largely remained silent, refraining from publicly taking sides as the crisis continues to escalate.