In developments that sent shock waves across the Malayalam film industry, popular actor Mohanlal and 17 other executive committee members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, popularly known as AMMA, have decided to step down from their posts as the organization sees a dramatic change in its leadership.
The dramatic move on August 27 followed growing criticism against AMMA over its handling of sexual harassment allegations in the industry.
Speaking to TOI, Mohanlal, the president of AMMA, said that the resignation was an “eye-wash gesture” and the “moral responsibility” gesture was to be enacted en masse due to the situation. In a statement issued on the official letterhead of AMMA, he said the release of the Hema Committee report and subsequent allegations of sexual misconduct by some officials of the AMMA had prompted the decision to resign.
“After the Hema Committee report came out and the related sexual allegations following it in different media in news print and visual, the existing office bearers of the AMMA administration take moral responsibility and quit,” Mohanlal said.
The move comes after the resignation of veteran actor Siddique, who quit as General Secretary of the AMMA on August 25 following allegations of sexual misconduct against him by actress Rekha Sampath. Other functionaries charged with similar allegations are AMMA joint secretary Baburaj and AMMA vice-president Jeyan R.
“There will be an election to form the new executive committee in the next two months”, confirmed Mohanlal himself. He showed hope that the new leadership will rejuvenate AMMA and will continue to make the organization stronger than ever.
It is learnt that the resignation of the committee members follows the wider reckoning that has hit the Kerala filmdom after a spate of allegations for sexual abuses and exploitation. A report presented by the Hema Committee on August 19 unleashed accusations from actresses and industry professionals naming several prominent figures in the industry.
Significantly, actress Rekha Sampath has accused Siddique of physical and mental abuse. She had levelled the same accusation earlier in 2019 but said she was compelled to state them again following recent developments. Siddique denied the allegations and filed a police complaint against the actress.
The Government of Kerala has, in response, constituted a seven-member Special Investigation Team to investigate these complaints. The complainants include actress Minu Muneer who filed a complaint on the basis of abuse on the sets of a film back in 2013, allegedly at the hands of a few actors and technicians.
Where some actors, including Prithviraj and Tovino Thomas, have come forward with their declarations of support to the victims and demands for accountability, others like Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, and Dulquer Salmaan have maintained a studied silence. Mohanlal had also faces solid criticism for his 2019 interview in which he seemed to downplay the importance of the #MeToo movement-something that seems completely at odds with the current mood in the industry.
