Swetha Menon’s election as the first woman president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) is more than symbolic. It signals a long-overdue shift in a male-dominated industry long accused of apathy toward gender justice.
That she replaces a towering figure like Mohanlal only amplifies the weight of the moment. After years of being at the periphery of institutional power, women in Malayalam cinema finally have a voice at the very top and it belongs to someone who has never shied away from speaking her mind.
The election, held in Kochi, was closely fought. Swetha edged out veteran actor Devan by just 21 votes. Out of 506 eligible members, 298 cast their ballots.
The results weren’t just about Swetha’s win. They reflected a broader change. Alongside her, three other women secured key posts: Kukku Parameswaran was elected General Secretary, defeating actor Raveendran, and actors Lakshmi Priyaa and Jayan Cherthala became vice presidents. This reshaped AMMA leadership is being seen as a response to years of discontent from within the industry, especially after the fallout of the 2017 actress assault case and the release of the Hema Committee report in 2024.
Swetha’s win didn’t come without friction. Days before the vote, a legal complaint accused her of profiting from “obscene” content, a charge widely seen as a smear campaign. But the attempt backfired, reinforcing her reputation as someone who refuses to be silenced or shamed. Throughout her career, Swetha has stood her ground, both on screen and off,despite repeated attempts to marginalize or undermine her.
Born in Chandigarh into a military family, Swetha entered the entertainment world at 13. She first gained national recognition after winning the Miss India Asia Pacific title in 1994, which launched her modeling and television career.
Soon, she transitioned to cinema. After debuting in Malayalam films with Anaswaram, she appeared in Bollywood hits like Ishq and Bandhan. But it was her second innings in Malayalam cinema, beginning in the mid-2000s, that cemented her place as an actor of substance.
Swetha deliberately pivoted toward complex, grounded roles, and her performances in Paaleri Manikyam (2009) and Salt N’ Pepper (2011) won her Kerala State Film Awards for Best Actress. She would go on to win nearly 40 accolades across languages. But even at her artistic peak, she remained a figure unafraid to confront.
In 2011, she filed a case against a pharmaceutical company that used her film stills to promote an Ayurvedic product without consent. The company’s managing director was arrested. In 2013, she allowed the filming of her childbirth for Blessy’s Kalimannu, a decision that sparked outrage among traditionalists but stood as a radical act of bodily autonomy. That same year, she filed a police complaint against a senior politician who allegedly groped her at a public event. She later withdrew the complaint after receiving a personal apology—an outcome that, while criticized, reflected the difficult, often isolating choices women face.
Now, as president of AMMA, Swetha is tasked with restoring credibility to an institution battered by scandal and indifference. Founded in 1994, AMMA was intended as a welfare and bargaining body for Malayalam cinema actors. But its perceived mishandling of key gender justice issues—most notably its soft-pedaled response to the 2017 abduction and assault of a leading actress—sparked an exodus. Prominent actors like Rima Kallingal, Geetu Mohandas, Remya Nambeesan, and the survivor herself resigned in protest and went on to form the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), which became a major force pushing for industry reform.
In 2022, Swetha and Kukku Parameswaran themselves resigned from AMMA’s Internal Complaints Committee over its inaction against actor-producer Vijay Babu,accused in a rape case. For the two to now return as AMMA’s top office-bearers is not just full-circle—it’s political.
The Hema Committee, whose report was released in August 2024, laid bare the extent of structural sexism in the industry. From wage gaps to lack of safety, to the systemic failure of redressal mechanisms, its findings forced a reckoning. Mohanlal and the rest of the AMMA leadership resigned shortly after. That vacuum made Swetha’s rise possible—but it also means she steps into a volatile space with expectations running high.
In her first remarks after the results, she extended an open invitation to former members who had resigned in protest. This call for reconciliation is being seen as a strategic and emotional reset—a recognition that AMMA needs healing as much as reform.
