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With more secrets about sexual abuse coming to light following the release of the K Hema committee report on problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, the Association of Malayalam Film Artistes (AMMA) is facing its biggest ordeal in its three-decade-long existence. Nearly a week after the Kerala High Court allowed the Left Democratic Front government to make public the redacted version of the report, the executive committee of the actors’ body was dissolved amid mounting revelations of sexual abuse and harassment experienced by women members in the multi-crore industry.
They were stepping down “following the release of the Hema Committee report and widespread media attention regarding allegations of sexual harassment against certain office-bearers”, a message shared with the media after an emergency online meeting of the 17-member committee headed by its chairman and actor Mohanlal on August 27 said.
The decision to dissolve the executive committee was taken after actor Siddique resigned from the post of general secretary on August 25 after he was accused of sexual harassment by a female actor. Since then, actors who have been booked by the Kerala police on sexual harassment charges include Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA Mukesh, former general secretaries of the association Siddique and Edavela Babu, and actors Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju and Sudhish.
The revelations brought attention to the association, which began in 1994 when several actors expressed support for an organisation to protect the interests of the fraternity. The first of its kind in the Malayalam film industry, the organisation was registered under the Travancore Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act. Its first official meeting, held in Thiruvananthapuram in May 1994, was attended by about 80 actors.
Actors MG Soman and TP Madhavan were the first president and secretary respectively. Late senior actor and comedian Innocent was the longest serving president as he held the post for nearly 18 years since 2000. Veteran actors Mammootty and Mohanlal had previously served as secretaries. Today, the association has a total of 506 members including 250 women. They have the right to vote in the annual general body meeting to elect an executive committee for a three-year term.
According to the association’s website, “a person who has been acting full-time in feature films for at least one year can become a life member by paying the specified fee”. The 17-member executive committee includes four women, though none of them had been elected as president or secretary so far. It has always tried to “stay away from the trade union tag by announcing its welfare agenda”, as Mohanlal reiterated while addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram on August 31.
Main Objective
According to the by-laws of the association, the main objectives of the organisation include “to promote better relations between members and other associations; to create and develop brotherhood amongst members; to enrich the economic condition of the members; and to help them during periods of retirement/distress as per the prescribed conditions from the fund or any other fund set apart for the purpose”. A stipend of Rs 5,000 per month is paid to around 116 members who are suffering from health ailments and are in need of financial assistance. Cashless accident and health insurance coverage is also provided to the members. To meet its financial requirements, the association has relied on the ‘star value’ of its members since its inception and has organised several stage shows in the country and abroad to raise funds.
The association did well in its initial tenure as the leadership kept away from major controversies. However, a decision to hold a stage show in collaboration with a private television channel in March 2004 was opposed by the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce. The apex body of the Malayalam film industry pointed out that footfall in theatres had declined as viewers remained glued to television to watch such programmes. Despite similar protests in subsequent years, the association continued its shows for television channels to raise funds for its various activities.
Its public appeal waned after popular actor Thilakan was expelled in April 2010 for voicing his displeasure against the functioning of the film and criticising that a lobby led by “super stars” had undue control over its functioning. Though it did not name names, the Hema committee report touched upon the difficulties faced by them and referred to “the existence of a powerful group in the Malayalam film industry”. “If a person, intentionally or unintentionally, offends a member of a powerful group for any silly reason, he may be banned,” it said.
The association suffered a legal setback when the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2017, along with the Film Employees Association of Kerala, held it responsible for indulging in anti-competitive practices by asking artistes, technicians and producers not to work with filmmaker Vinayan. In his petition, the director had sought the CCI’s intervention to lift the ban imposed on him by the film bodies for speaking out against their unfair practices. Out of the total fine of ₹11.25 lakh imposed by the CCI on the violators, the association was asked to pay ₹4 lakh.
tumultuous episodes
A mistake committed by the association led to internal turmoil following the arrest of actor Dileep for allegedly sexually assaulting a female actress in a moving car in Kochi on the night of February 17, 2017. Its decision to reinstate Dileep, who was removed after he was accused in the abduction and sexual assault case, resulted in the resignation of members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), including the victim and actress Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambeesan and filmmaker Geetu Mohandas.
The association had opposed a plea by the WCC before the Kerala High Court to set up an internal complaints committee (ICC) in line with the Vishaka guidelines and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. It said “AMMA is only an association of artistes and not an employer and hence its activities would not fall under the definition of workplace”.
Though the association formed the ICC in March 2022, three of its women members resigned in May 2022 in protest against its soft stance towards actor-producer Vijay Babu, who was accused of raping a female actor and later revealing her identity. A similar vacillation was evident in its position on the Hema Committee report, though the political storm that erupted after its release forced the association to come out in its support after being criticised for its alleged silence. As the demand for a safe and non-discriminatory workplace in the film industry grows stronger, the actors’ body stands at a crossroads where change is inevitable.
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