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The crisis in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A) has now reached the Kerala High Court. What began as allegations by actor and joint secretary Ansiba Hassan against the association’s leadership quickly snowballed into resignations, confusion over the validity of those resignations, and ultimately a legal battle over administration.
The controversy comes less than a year after actor Shwetha Menon became A.M.M.A’s first woman president, a milestone that many in the Malayalam film industry saw as an opportunity for the organisation to move beyond the turbulence that followed the release of the Justice Hema Committee report in August 2024.
But she stepped down in June, not only as president but from the primary membership of A.M.M.A. She also found herself agreeing to allegations of favouritism and sexism in the actors’ association, which several other woman actors had flagged before they exited A.M.M.A post the 2017 sexual assault of a woman actor.
Here is what transpired in the actors’ body, leading to an injunction by the Ernakulam Munsiff Court and a separate writ petition being looked into by the Kerala High Court.
A fresh start gone wrong
In August 2025, Shwetha Menon was elected as A.M.M.A’s first woman president. The previous executive committee had stepped down in the aftermath of the publication of the Justice Hema Committee report and the allegations of sexual misconduct that surfaced against several members of the Malayalam film industry. The mass resignation forced fresh elections, with many within the industry hoping that a new leadership would restore stability and rebuild confidence in the organisation.
Shwetha’s election was therefore seen as historic not only because she became the first woman to head the association, but also because she inherited an organisation attempting to distance itself from months of controversy.
However, that promise was short-lived.
The immediate controversy began in May this year when Ansiba publicly levelled allegations against members of A.M.M.A’s leadership and resigned from her post. She alleged that she had faced humiliation and unfair treatment within the association, including Islamophobia.
Ansiba told the media that the rift began over a disagreement she raised about religious organisations sponsoring A.M.M.A events. When discussions began for a fundraiser event organised in February, Swetha Menon reportedly brought in a sponsorship from a temple, which Ansiba says she opposed.
Ansiba further alleged that A.M.M.A executive committee member Tini Tom accused her of “jihad” and attempting “religious conversion of other members of the association”. Tini Tom later denied the allegations, brushing them off as “hearsay”.
Ansiba also alleged that she did not receive any sort of support from the organisation’s executive committee, including Swetha.
The dispute escalated after a series of public statements and press interactions involving office-bearers like Lakshmipriya gained traction.
The controversy further deepened after a press conference by A.M.M.A’s leadership drew criticism. Questions were raised about how the association handled internal grievances, whether members were given adequate opportunities to voice concerns, and whether the leadership had responded appropriately to Ansiba’s allegations.
Who will lead A.M.M.A?
On June 21, the situation took another dramatic turn when Shwetha announced that the executive committee had decided to resign following the general body meeting, where members expressed unhappiness about the maintenance of accounts.
At the meeting, Shwetha said she was resigning out of self-respect, adding that she was unwilling to continue as a “puppet” president. She also called for an audit of the association’s finances and suggested that questions over transparency had not been adequately addressed.
Following the resignations, the general body constituted a nine-member ad hoc committee headed by actor and MLA Ramesh Pisharody to run the association until fresh elections could be held. The committee was intended to oversee A.M.M.A’s day-to-day affairs during the transition.
However, less than two weeks later, Shwetha dramatically altered her position.
In a Facebook post, she argued that she had not abandoned A.M.M.A and that the executive committee continued to be the only legally recognised governing body under the association’s bylaws. Citing provisions in A.M.M.A’s constitution, she said that even if an elected committee resigns, it is required to continue in office until a newly elected committee assumes charge. On that basis, she contended that the ad hoc committee had “no legal legitimacy” because the bylaws contain no provision for constituting such a body.
She also pointed out that when Mohanlal’s executive committee had resigned in 2024 following the fallout from the Hema Committee report, it continued in office until fresh elections.
Matter goes to court
With disagreements over the executive committee’s status remaining unresolved, the matter has now reached the Kerala High Court.
Shwetha approached the Ernakulam Munsiff Court, challenging the formation of the ad hoc committee.
The court granted an ad interim injunction restraining the ad hoc committee from functioning until further orders. Following this, Ramesh Pisharody stepped down as chairman of the ad hoc committee, saying he would abide by the court’s decision.
Meanwhile, actors Ansiba, Mala Parvathy, and Usha Haseena defended the ad hoc committee, stating that the general body’s refusal to accept Shwetha’s committee’s accounts makes the executive committee itself invalid.
The legal proceedings are expected to determine questions relating to the validity of the executive committee’s actions, the status of the reported resignations, and the process through which A.M.M.A should be administered going forward.
Simultaneously, Ansiba filed a separate writ petition before the Kerala High Court, challenging the manner in which A.M.M.A conducted its affairs, including the June 21 general body meeting and the subsequent developments.
The Munsiff Court continues to deal with the civil dispute over the ad hoc committee, while the High Court is looking into Ansiba’s writ petition, raising wider questions.
Meanwhile, actors Revathy and Padmapriya resigned from the primary membership of A.M.M.A. on Monday, July 6. In a joint statement shared on Instagram, they said their resignation was "not in haste and not about a single incident", but the result of long-standing concerns over the association's functioning. The actors said A.M.M.A., which was meant to serve as a collective voice for all actors, had increasingly become shaped by patriarchy and power politics, weakening its founding ideals. Calling their decision an act of "self-respect" rather than defeat, they said they continued to believe in a more equitable Malayalam film industry despite stepping away from the association.
While the Kerala High Court’s eventual ruling may settle the immediate legal questions, the controversy has once again highlighted the challenges facing one of Malayalam cinema’s most influential industry bodies. Whether the association can emerge from this crisis with a clearer administrative structure and renewed confidence remains to be seen.