Union Minister and actor Suresh Gopi called for the return of old office-bearers of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A.), one of the largest organisations of actors in India. At a ‘family meet’ held in Kochi on Saturday, January 4 by the association, Suresh Gopi urged the previous executive committee, led by actor Mohanlal, to return and resume leadership of the organisation. The same executive committee had resigned following the accusations of sexual assault against some of its members and the findings by the Hema Committee. Among the resigning members was actor Siddique, who is currently facing rape charges. Actor turned CPI(M) MLA Mukesh and actor Baburaj, who are facing allegations of sexual harassment, were also on the stage in the meeting.
“I expect and request the executive committee, led by Mohanlal, whom we elected through voting, to return and take back their positions to lead the organisation. While younger members may join, it is essential for elders, who are strong enough to face the world, to lead this organisation. The younger generation should learn from their experience.” Suresh said.
Suresh, along with Mukesh, also sought a return to the old name of the association. Taking exception to the association being referred to by the acronym A.M.M.A. (pronounced as letters) rather than AMMA (pronounced as amma, meaning mother), Suresh said, “We will not obey what mudhalaalimar (owners) from outside say. 'A' full stop, 'M' full stop, 'M' full stop, 'A' full stop... Those fellows can keep it inside their own houses. It is AMMA for us,” he said while stating that henceforth, he would be at the forefront of the association.
The controversy over how the acronym of the association should be pronounced has been raging for a while, with the association itself – predominantly headed by men – claiming that they are ‘Amma’, the mother of the artistes.
The practice of using the acronym began after several prominent women actors left the A.M.M.A., unhappy with their treatment of the survivor in the 2017 actor assault case. Dileep, the actor accused of masterminding the crime, was invited back into the association hardly a year after he was suspended, prompting the resignation of women actors, including the survivor. In the wake of the crime, the women who came out in support of the survivor formed the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to fight for the rights of women in the industry. They would go on to have several disagreements with the functioning of A.M.M.A. At one point, many who had been disheartened by the attitude of the association towards women stopped calling it Amma, not wanting to equate the organisation to a word that means mother.
Actor Mohanlal hinted that all the allegations made against the association in the aftermath of the release of the Hema Committee report had been resolved and that the association was back to its state of prosperity.
“We were going through a black patch, dark clouds. And we were able to see light. We will reach the light. There are a lot of good hearts behind [this association]. We are implementing a lot of measures, but many people are not aware of this. We can take many such measures not only for our members but for the public too,” Mohanlal said.
The “family meet” was organised after a major setback last year. In August, the executive committee led by Mohanlal was dissolved after allegations of sexual assault and harassment were made by several women against several individuals in the Malayalam film industry, including three members of the AMMA executive committee—former general secretary Siddique, vice president Jeyan R, and joint secretary Baburaj. At that point, Siddique had already resigned. All the remaining office-bearers of A.M.M.A. submitted their resignations after it became untenable for them to continue.
The allegations were made after the release of the Hema Committee report, containing disclosures of abuse of women actors and technicians. There was no mention of the allegations or the Hema Committee report during the meeting.
Mohanlal and A.M.M.A. did not redeem themselves — they had to go