First Woman President of Malayalam Actors' Body Resigns After Executive Committee Quits

In a major setback for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) , actor Shwetha Menon , the organisation's first woman president, resigned on Sunday along with the entire executive committee, plunging Kerala's most influential film body into another leadership crisis. The mass resignation followed a stormy annual general body meeting marked by disputes over financial transparency, governance issues, and growing internal divisions.

Menon, who was elected in August 2025 and led AMMA's first women-headed leadership team, also announced that she was resigning from the association's membership itself. Addressing the media after the meeting in Kochi, she said there were attempts to place the organisation "in the hands of the tainted" and added that she could not continue as a "puppet."

The crisis erupted during discussions on AMMA's annual accounts, when objections were raised by senior members, including Siddique and Edavela Babu, over alleged lack of transparency in financial statements presented by General Secretary Cuckoo Parameswaran . The deadlock ultimately led to the collective resignation of the 17 member executive committee.

The development comes after months of turbulence within AMMA. Former Joint Secretary Ansiba Hassan had resigned amid allegations of harassment, internal discrimination, and governance failures. Her public dispute with actor Tini Tom , subsequent legal action, and controversies surrounding sponsorship decisions further deepened divisions within the organisation.

The latest upheaval follows the 2024 dissolution of the previous AMMA committee led by Mohanlal after the fallout from the Justice Hema Committee Report . An ad hoc committee headed by actor and MLA Ramesh Pisharody has now been formed to oversee the association until fresh elections are held, while Mohanlal has appealed for unity within the organisation.