Mohanlal and AMMA top brass resign amid backlash

Kochi: In a dramatic turn of events, the entire leadership of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), including its president, superstar Mohanlal, resigned en masse on Tuesday. The decision comes in the wake of multiple sexual harassment allegations against prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry.

The resignation follows the release of the Justice K Hema Committee report, which exposed widespread workplace harassment in the Malayalam cinema world. Several women actors, including a Bengali actress, have come forward with allegations against well-known personalities such as director Ranjith and actors Siddique and Mukesh.

AMMA issued a statement explaining their decision: “Following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, some office-bearers of AMMA, including actor Siddique who quit as its general secretary, had to face sexual allegations in the social, visual, and print media. And in view of that, the present executive panel was resigning, taking moral responsibility.”

The association announced that a new administrative panel would be elected within two months after convening a general body meeting. In the interim, the outgoing panel will continue as a temporary system to manage ongoing programs.

“We are hopeful that AMMA will get a new leadership capable of reforming and strengthening the association. Thanks to everyone for criticising and correcting (us),” the statement added. The decision has been largely welcomed by the film community, especially women actors. Shwetha Menon, a well-known actor, expressed her support for the decision and suggested potential new leadership: “I feel Raju (Prithviraj) as a president in the future. I think he has the capability... calibre for the same.”

Menon also empathised with the outgoing president, saying: “I felt sad seeing a great actor like Mohanlal facing this much stress over the developments.”

Senior actor Usha emphasised the need for change, stating: “A new panel, which can address the concerns of women and to whom female actors could courageously approach and open up about their issues, should come to the top positions in the outfit.” Director-actor Joy Mathew viewed the resignation as a significant gesture, commenting: “The resignation of AMMA’s executive panel is a good example. Here the executive panel itself has lost its image. In that circumstance, there is no meaning in the continuation of that committee.”

However, not everyone agreed with the mass resignation. Actor Anoop Chandran voiced his confusion, saying: “I could not understand the reason behind the resignation of the entire panel instead of removing the accused persons alone.”

The controversy has prompted action from the government, which has announced the formation of a seven-member special investigation team to probe the allegations made in the wake of the Justice Hema Committee report.