AMMA crisis: How Malayalam cinema’s biggest association keeps falling apart

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) is facing another internal crisis after its president Shwetha Menon resigned and the executive committee was dissolved. The latest collapse has once again raised questions about the organisation’s structure, accountability and ability to reform.

Menon’s exit came less than a year after she created history by becoming AMMA’s first woman president in 2025. Her final remark that one has to be a “puppet” to run the organisation and that she refused to be one has intensified the debate over how AMMA functions.

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The latest episode is being seen by critics as another sign of a deeper crisis that has existed within the association for years.

Old warnings

Long before the current controversy, veteran actor Thilakan had openly accused AMMA of sidelining him. He alleged that he was denied opportunities, pushed away from an influential circle and unofficially kept away from work.

At the time, his complaints were largely viewed as a personal dispute. However, years later, many see those allegations as an early warning about a system where dissent was not easily accepted.

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The biggest controversy came in 2017 after the actor assault case, which shook the Malayalam film industry. When actor Dileep was arrested in connection with the case, AMMA initially expelled him.

The Dileep controversy

However, in 2018, under the leadership of Mohanlal, the organisation reinstated Dileep while the case was still pending. The decision triggered widespread criticism.

Several women members, including those associated with the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), protested the move and stepped away from AMMA. They questioned whether the association truly represented the interests of all artists.

The message from the dissenting members was clear — AMMA was not being seen as an organisation that stood equally with all its members.

Power and silence

Women actors who raised concerns about the functioning of the industry often claimed they were labelled as troublemakers. They alleged that speaking against powerful individuals could affect career opportunities.

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Many members associated with reforms and the WCC spoke about being sidelined. Allegations of informal industry boycotts and lack of opportunities became a recurring concern, even when such claims were difficult to formally establish.

The findings of the Justice Hema Committee later brought institutional attention to several of these concerns.

Hema report impact

The committee report did not only focus on harassment allegations. It pointed towards structural issues within the Malayalam film industry, including the existence of powerful networks that could influence careers, opportunities and access.

The report highlighted how informal power structures could operate effectively without official authority.

Viewed against this backdrop, the allegations raised by Thilakan, the fallout of the Dileep controversy and concerns voiced by women actors appeared to many critics as connected issues rather than isolated incidents.

A repeated crisis

In recent years, AMMA has repeatedly found itself surrounded by controversies. Internal disagreements have often spilled into public spaces, with allegations between members turning into police complaints and legal battles.

Critics argue that for an organisation representing artists, the lack of a transparent grievance redressal system and visible accountability mechanisms remains a major concern.

Decisions within AMMA have often been viewed as personality-driven rather than based on clear institutional processes, leading critics to describe it as an exclusive club dominated by influential figures.

Reform question

Menon’s election was seen as an opportunity for change, especially after the scrutiny created by the Hema Committee revelations. There were expectations that her leadership could mark a new beginning for AMMA.

But within months, internal conflicts resurfaced. The issues of dissent, lack of consensus and resistance to reform once again came to the forefront.

Menon’s statement that she refused to be a "puppet" while running the organisation became symbolic of the larger debate.

What next for AMMA?

The formation of an ad hoc committee may offer temporary stability, but it does not answer the larger questions surrounding the association.

The central question remains — what does AMMA represent today? Is it a professional body that protects every artist equally, or is it still shaped by hierarchy, loyalty and informal power networks?

AMMA has never projected itself as a trade union. It has preferred the image of a charitable collective, while critics continue to question whether it functions as an exclusive group of industry elites.

From Thilakan’s allegations to the Dileep controversy, from women members walking out to the Hema Committee findings, the concerns have remained consistent. The bigger question is whether AMMA will finally address them or continue repeating the same cycle.

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