Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) president Shwetha Menon and the 17-member executive committee led by her resigned on Sunday following heated exchanges and dramatic scenes at the organisation's annual general body meeting.
The resignations came after a marathon meeting that witnessed sharp disagreements over the adoption of the annual report and statement of accounts, exposing simmering differences within the actors' body.
A section of members reportedly raised concerns over the lack of clarity in the income and expenditure details presented in the annual report submitted by General Secretary Kuku Parameswaran, leading to intense discussions and confrontations.
As tensions escalated, Menon announced her resignation as president. Later, she told reporters that the entire executive committee had also stepped down.
"All the executive committee members have resigned. I have resigned my membership and left the organisation," she said.
Menon said she had quit not only the presidency but also her primary membership of AMMA, severing all ties with the organisation.
She alleged that the association's treasurer had been unavailable and that accounts for a specific period could not be produced.
"The treasurer of the organisation was unavailable. When an AMMA staff member was terminated and later filed a complaint, the issue was not addressed. Instead, the treasurer became unavailable, and therefore we could not produce the accounts for that period," she alleged.
According to Menon, the current committee had maintained proper accounts from September 1 onwards, but unresolved issues linked to the previous administration persisted.
"From September 1 onwards, all our accounts were in order. But there were several issues related to the earlier committee," she said.
Claiming she felt relieved after leaving the organisation, Menon further alleged that efforts were being made to return control of AMMA to individuals who had previously faced allegations.
"An effort is being made to return the organisation to the hands of people against whom allegations have been raised. That was the agenda," she alleged.
She also claimed that some members had been pressured into signing a no-confidence motion against the executive committee.
"Without informing us, there was an agenda to remove us. I have a personality of my own, and I will speak my mind. If we were puppets, we could not have run this organisation. But I am not ready to become a puppet," she said.
Veteran actor Mallika Sukumaran acknowledged that the executive committee had made certain mistakes, though she did not elaborate. She said AMMA should be led by people who understand the film industry, are willing to learn and can effectively articulate issues.
Sources said concerns over alleged irregularities in the association's accounts emerged as a key issue during the meeting and ultimately triggered the mass resignation.
An ad hoc committee comprising nine members has been constituted to oversee the organisation. Actor and MLA Ramesh Pisharody will serve as convener, while former minister and actor K B Ganesh Kumar and actor Suresh Krishna are among its members. The committee has been given a four-month term and will decide the schedule for fresh elections.
The developments drew mixed reactions from members.
Actor Jagadish said no personal attacks were made against Menon during the meeting but noted that members felt she had failed to discharge certain responsibilities expected of the president.
Actor Bheeman Reghu claimed Menon's style of functioning and manner of speaking had upset several members.
Actor Baburaj criticised the outgoing panel, saying the committee that had allegedly created difficulties for women was now stepping down. Referring to Menon, he said there was no need to play the "women's card" and that a president should be someone who listens to all sides.
Actor Anoop Chandran, however, defended the committee, saying the issues stemmed from inexperience and were not beyond resolution. He argued that efforts should have been made to keep the committee intact.
The resignations mark a major setback for the leadership elected in August last year. For the first time in AMMA's history, women had assumed the organisation's top posts, with Shwetha Menon elected president and Kuku Parameswaran as general secretary. Lakshmi Priya became vice-president, while Ansiba Hasan was elected joint secretary. Hasan recently resigned, citing differences with certain members.
Reacting to the developments, State Minister for Cultural Affairs and Cinema P C Vishnunadh described the issue as an internal matter of the organisation.
"AMMA is one among many organisations in Kerala. Even if some of its members are MLAs or politicians, when they function within that organisation, they are actors. Let them resolve the issues within the organisation themselves. There is no need for the government to intervene in such matters," he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
(With inputs from PTI)
