Ramya Nambessan says she was aghast when she heard about AMMA’s decision to take Dileep back into their fold. Dileep has been chargesheeted in a case of rape and has been trying to delay trial, but that did not stop the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes from taking him back.
Ramya says that for some time now it had become stifling for her to be part of AMMA and the latest decision came as the last straw.
“I had been part of AMMA for ten years. Initially we would just go for the meetings, no one would ask for our opinions. We would just see what the big stars had to say and leave. But after a few years, I found it stifling; there were questions forming in my head. Even when we formed the WCC, we had decided that we won’t rebel without a cause and we will try to work with AMMA, to change the system. Many of us took part in AMMA’s stage show AMMA Mazhavillu recently. But the skit there showed us their true colours and this decision to take back Dileep was the final stroke,” she says.
For an actor like Ramya, taking the decision to leave AMMA wouldn't have been an easy one. Angering the big guns of Malayalam cinema could lead to lesser or simply no more opportunities. “I am not someone who plans for the future like that; I take things as they come. The three of us (Ramya, Rima, and Geetu) wanted to stay with our friend and we did. Will I get a movie in the future is not my concern here, and thinking about it, I cannot keep quiet.”
However, Ramya knows that many others have that fear. “I don’t think other young people in the industry should fear consequences or think that they will lose opportunities. It is not like being part of AMMA has helped many in their careers,” she says.
And then, there is the disappointment that only a handful have spoken up against this dangerous culture of supporting a man accused of sexual violence. “I wish more people from the Malayalam industry spoke up. I read what Aashiq Abu and Prithviraj said, but there are so many who have not said anything. I have got calls from my colleagues in the Tamil industry expressing solidarity, I wish that happened here,” she said.
She adds that AMMA’s reaction despite the outrage has been disappointing. “It is shocking and disappointing. I don’t know what has emboldened them, but we will not buck down. This fight will continue. We understand that this is a fight not for us, but for all women out there. This is also a fight for the next generation of women who will come into the film industry. And I know that the current members of the WCC won’t even reap the benefits of such a revolt, but we are happy we started it.”