AMMA members say Shwetha Menon's committee cannot return, cite hidden agendas

The ongoing dispute within the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) took another turn on Friday, as actors Ansiba Hassan, Maala Parvathy and Usha Haseena defended the now-stayed ad hoc committee and maintained that the executive committee led by Shwetha Menon cannot return to office.

Addressing the media, the members argued that Shwetha's committee lost its legitimacy after the general body refused to approve its financial accounts, making it ineligible to continue in any interim capacity.

Ansiba Hassan said comparisons with the previous committee led by Mohanlal were misplaced. While Mohanlal's committee continued in a caretaker role after resigning because there were no internal disputes, the current executive committee stepped down after its accounts failed to secure the general body's approval, she said, adding that this fundamentally changed the situation.

The remarks come days after the Ernakulam Munsiff Court stayed the functioning of the ad hoc committee formed following the executive committee's resignation. The court acted on a petition filed by Shwetha Menon, who argued that AMMA's bylaws contain no provision for such a committee.

Calling the ongoing turmoil unprecedented in AMMA's 32-year history, Maala Parvathy alleged that political and religious narratives had crept into the organisation.  According to Maala Parvathy, there was an attempt by a corporate entity to provide at least ₹15 crore in funding to AMMA, allegedly with the objective of advancing a religious agenda within the organisation.

To support her claim, she played a video that she said showed a BJP leader discussing efforts to channel the proposed funding to AMMA through Shwetha Menon under the guise of charitable initiatives such as 'Dakshina.'

She claimed Shwetha's political affiliation was her personal choice but alleged that religion had been weaponised during the dispute, saying Shwetha was unfairly branded a "jihadi" and a "terrorist" because she is a Muslim.

Maala further claimed that members were convinced by Ansiba's arguments during the general body meeting and that Shwetha failed to respond convincingly to the issues raised. Referring to actor Babu Raj's allegation that Shwetha had accepted ₹2 crore from a political party, Maala said the general body did not initially attach much importance to the claim. According to her, the allegation gained significance only after actor Lakshmipriya spoke about it the following day.

Questioning Shwetha's decision to leave the meeting, Maala said that if the allegation was baseless, she could have stayed back and challenged it instead of announcing that she and her committee members were resigning. Once that resignation was announced, she said, the general body, as AMMA's highest decision-making body, was empowered to appoint an interim committee.

Defending actor Ramesh Pisharody, who later resigned as convenor following the court's interim stay, Maala said he had accepted the role only after repeated requests from members. While acknowledging that Pisharody was politically affiliated with the Congress, she said he had never allowed politics to influence his role within AMMA and stressed that the organisation had members from across the political spectrum.

Responding to criticism over her own remarks, Maala said her intention had been to oppose any attempt to communalise Malayalam cinema or its organisations, not to target any individual. She maintained that although she had spoken strongly, she had not used abusive language.