Year after release of Hema panel report, Malayalam actors' body elects women to its top positions

The Print

2 days ago

Earlier, in July, actor Ansiba Hassan was elected unopposed as joint secretary. Established in 1994, this is the first time women have been appointed to key positions in the organisation. After the results were announced, the new leadership took oath in Kochi. According to the members, 298 of a total of 506 members participated in the election held on 15 August.
Actor Shwetha Menon has been elected president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), while Kukku Parameswaran has been appointed general secretary. Actors Lakshmi Priya and Jayan Cherthala have been elected vice presidents, and Unni Shivapal has taken on the role of treasurer.
Thiruvananthapuram: For the first time in its history, the actors' body of the Malayalam film industry elected women to its highest positions on 15 August, following a contentious election and various controversies.
Expressing her joy at being elected through a democratic process, Shwetha said she hoped the announcement would not lead to controversy. 'You (the media) said AMMA should be led by a woman. Now, it is a woman. You should support me. I believe there is no difference between men and women in cinema; we are merely characters between action and cuts,' she remarked.
The actor mentioned that she had a personal vision for the organisation but would reveal it only after an executive meeting. She also noted that any conflict within the organisation would be addressed internally and she would seek the guidance of industry veterans such as Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Suresh Gopi, who are regarded as the patrons of AMMA. 'It will be a gradual progress. Do not anticipate miracles immediately,' she cautioned.
The general body election was prompted after the executive committee, led by Mohanlal, submitted mass resignations in August 2024 following the release of the Hema Committee report. Elected in June 2024, 17 members of the executive committee resigned after allegations were made against several members following the report's publication.
Formed in 2019 by the Kerala government, the Hema Committee studied issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry and revealed widespread and persistent sexual harassment. Though submitted in December 2019, the report was only released five years later in 2024.
For the election on 15 August, six nominations were submitted for the presidential position, including that of Shwetha. However, prior to the withdrawal deadline, Jagadish, Raveendran, Jayan Cherthala, and Anoop Chandran retracted their candidacies, leaving Shwetha and Devan to compete.
The election was also marred by numerous controversies. A week ahead of the polls, Shwetha was charged by the Ernakulam Central Police of participating in obscene or explicit films and advertisements for financial gain. The complaint, lodged by social activist Martin Menachery, referenced her roles in films such as 'Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha', 'Rathinirvedam', and 'Kalimannu'.
Clips from these productions were disseminated on social media and adult websites. Shwetha approached the Kerala High Court to annul the FIR, and on 7 August, the court issued an interim stay on all proceedings in the matter until 23 September.
Kukku too faced accusations of having 'lost' a memory card that contained sensitive video recordings from a 2018 meeting of women actors in the industry, during which they expressed their grievances. She asserted that she was being targeted to damage her reputation during the election period.
Shwetha began her career in the early 1990s and has appeared in prominent South Indian films in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil, in addition to several Hindi films. In 1994, she also participated in the Miss India contest, where she was the third runner-up. Her significant career breakthrough occurred post-2000, with performances in 'Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha' (2009) and 'Salt N' Pepper' (2011), both of which earned her the Kerala State Award for Best Actress.
Kukku started out as a child actor in the early 1980s. In 1988, she received the State Film Award for second best actress for her role in 'Ore Thooval Pakshikal'. She has also featured in films like the 1999 Mohanlal-starrer 'Vanaprastham, Anantharam' (1987), and 'Nizhalkuthu' (2002).
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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