Mohanlal resigns as AMMA prez, executive committee disbanded

In the wake of serious allegations of sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) leadership panel was disbanded and the organisation’s President and leading actor, Mohanlal resigned from his position on Tuesday, August 27.

The industry’s male-dominated leadership of the Malayalam film actors’ organisation AMMA, was headed by the resigned President Mohanlal and Siddique, who resigned as the General Secretary of the organisation, following allegations of sexual assault raised by a female actor on Sunday, August 25.

The Malayalam film industry is witnessing major ripples following a Justice Hema-led investigative report on the systemic violence against women in the industry. The report revealed serious instances of violations against women in the industry.

The Hema committee was appointed by the Kerala government to investigate the workplace issues faced by women in Malayalam cinema, following the incident of a Malayalam female actor being abducted and sexually assaulted allegedly over the directives of an influential male actor, Dileep.

The report revealed instances of major injustice towards female professionals, including cast couching, predatory behaviour from male actors, directors and other technicians, unsafe working conditions at film sets, systematic targeting against any professional who speaks against an alleged power group, etc.

Following the publishing of the report, several female participants in the industry came forward to narrate their accounts of sexual abuse and accused several actors and technicians in the Malayalam film industry.

Film director Renjith, who has been the chairperson of Kerala Chalachitra Academy, resigned from his position on Sunday, 25 August, following he was accused of misconduct by a Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra.