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The Hindu
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Madam president
Actor Shwetha Menon has broken the glass ceiling in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) after being elected as its first woman president. Since its inception in 1994, the actors' body in the Malayalam film industry never had a woman as its president or general secretary. The 51-year-old defeated senior actor Devan to clinch the lead post in a keen electoral race held on August 15. She has a trusted lieutenant in actor Kukku Parameswaran, who was elected as the first woman general secretary of the association. The election to the 17-member executive committee was necessitated after the previous committee led by its president and actor Mohanlal stepped down on August 27, 2024, following the release of the Hema Committee report on the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee was disbanded as allegations of sexual abuse and misbehaviour were raised against its members, including the office-bearers. Born in Chandigarh as the daughter of an Indian Air Force official, Shwetha entered the tinsel town in 1991 after she was paired opposite actor Mammootty in the movie Anaswaram. She shot into national fame after she won the Femina Miss India Asia Pacific title in 1994 and became the Gladrags female supermodel in the same year. She sizzled in ad films and walked the ramp with elan before trying her luck in Bollywood in 1997 through the movie Ishq. Some of her Hindi movies included Asoka, Maqbool and Corporate. Her performance as Cheeru in director Ranjith's Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha won her the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Actress in 2009. She repeated her stellar performance in 2011 and won the best actress in the Kerala Film Award for her portrayal of Maya, a dubbing artiste and foodie, in Aashiq Abu's Salt N' Pepper. She has worked in over 100 movies in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, besides hosting various TV shows. She has had her share of controversies in her over three-decade-old career. In November 2013, she lodged a police complaint alleging that then Congress MP N. Peethambara Kurup had physically misbehaved with her. She later withdrew it after he tendered an apology. She received brickbats from a section of viewers after she allowed her delivery to be recorded on camera and use the footage in filmmaker Blessy's Kalimannu in which she played the lead role. The Kerala High Court, which heard the matter, refused to intervene saying the actor had consented to the shooting of her delivery and there was no violation of her fundamental right. Illegal bans She never ruffled feathers with the protracted male-dominated leadership in the association. However, she did not remain mute after the Hema panel report was published while asserting that she had also faced illegal bans. She resigned from the Internal Complaints Committee of the association, along with actors Maala Parvathi and Kukku Parameswaran in 2022 following the reluctance of then leadership to take action against actor-producer Vijay Babu in a case registered by the Kochi city police on charges of alleged rape of a young woman actor and revealing the identity of the survivor. Just a week before the election, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against her by the Kochi city police under Section 67 A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, on a complaint lodged by a native of Ernakulam 'for making financial gains through her roles in movies having alleged vulgar and obscene content'. Speculations were rife that the complaint was allegedly aided by her detractors from within the association. The actor heaved a sigh of relief after the Kerala High Court stayed the proceedings in connection with the FIR. Despite the scenes of jubilation over the election of women in lead roles in the association, the way forward may not be a cakewalk for her in view of the internal rift and mud-slinging witnessed ahead of the election. The fissures within the organisation seem deep and will require her to pull out all the stops to stay afloat.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Disbanded after Hema report firestorm, Malayalam film artists' body sees a historic first – a woman as president
For the first time in its three-decade history, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) Friday elected women as its president and general secretary. The election for the new office-bearers was held a year after its 17-member executive committee, headed by Mohanlal, quit in the wake of the Hema committee report and subsequent revelations of sexual misconduct. While Shweta Menon was elected president, Cuckoo Parameswaran is the new general secretary. The former defeated veteran actor Devan, while the latter's rival was Raveendran. The general body also elected Lakshmi Priya as vice-president and Ansiba as joint secretary. Unni Shivapal is the treasurer of the committee, which is elected for the next three years. Shweta told the media that the new committee will bring in changes. 'We will bring in all members who have quit the body. They are most welcome. There are no men or women in the body; all are actors,' she said. The newly elected general secretary said, 'All the 508 members of the AMMA will be taken into confidence before any decision. This body will bring in changes.' Days before the elections, Shweta had faced a case based on a complaint that 'she acted in movies and advertisements involving nudity and made financial gains by misusing her notoriety as a vulgar actor'. The High Court stayed the proceedings in the case, which was allegedly linked to her contest in the AMMA elections. The Hema committee report, which came out a year earlier, had triggered an uproar in the film industry, and the then general secretary of AMMA, Siddique, was forced to quit in the wake of the alleged sexual misconduct. Its joint general secretary, Baburaj, also faced similar allegations. Several prominent actors had openly come out against AMMA, leading to the disbanding of the executive and office-bearers. Shweta is a prominent actress, model, and television anchor, active in the entertainment industry for the last three decades. She debuted in the Malayalam film industry in 1991 in Mamootty-starrer Anaswaram. After being crowned Miss Bangalore, she was adjudged third in the Miss India contest in 1994, which Sushmita Sen won. Twice, she won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress – first for her performance in Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha and then for her role in Salt N' Pepper. Newly elected general secretary Cuckoo started her career as a child artiste. She is also a classical dancer, fashion designer and theatre professional. In 1988, she bagged the second-best actress award in Kerala for her role in Ore Thooval Pakshikal.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Shwetha Menon creates history; first woman to lead AMMA; actress says, 'AMMA is now a woman'
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Actress Shwetha Menon has been elected as the organisation's first-ever woman president in a historic milestone for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). The victory, sealed on Thursday, saw Shwetha secure 159 votes — 20 more than her opponent Devan, who received 132. Standing before members and the media after the announcement, Shwetha said with a smile, 'You all said AMMA should be a woman, and today that moment has come — AMMA is now a woman. ' The election saw an impressive turnout, with 298 members casting their votes. 'Namaskaram. First of all, I thank all our family members who are here today… I am speaking this gratitude from the language of my heart,' she said, adding that holding two general body meetings in a year had been a costly yet unifying effort. 'I will personally invite them back' Shwetha made it clear that her vision as president would be one of inclusion and healing. Referring to members who had resigned or left due to disagreements, she said, 'Those who resigned from AMMA will return. Those who left in disagreement should come back — if necessary, I will personally invite them.' She also reached out to members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), stating they were 'all part of the AMMA family' and expressing readiness to meet them personally. Shwetha Menon on 30 years of her debut movie 'Anaswaram' Her remarks reflected an emphasis on collaboration: 'We should first hold an executive meeting and make some decisions. Step by step, we must do everything together.' A team effort: New faces in key positions The election also brought in new leadership across key posts. Kuku Parameswaran was elected General Secretary with 172 votes, defeating Ravindran's 115. For the vice-president position, Lakshmipriya won with 139 votes, while Nasser Latheef trailed at 96. As she took on her new role, Shwetha reflected on the essence of the profession: 'I believe there is no gender divide in cinema — only characters exist. The life of a film artist lies between an action and a cut.' With her win, AMMA's leadership enters a new chapter. "Get the latest news updates on Times of India, including reviews of the movie Coolie and War 2 ."
