As more and more skeletons on sexual exploitation tumble out following the release of the K. Hema Committee report on the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) is facing its biggest litmus test ever in its three-decade-long existence. Nearly a week after the Kerala High Court permitted the Left Democratic Front government to make public the redacted form of the report, the executive committee of the actors’ body was dissolved amidst the growing revelations of sexual assault and harassment experienced by women members in the multi-crore industry.
A communication shared with the media after an emergency online meeting of the 17-member committee led by its president and actor Mohanlal on August 27 stated that they were stepping down “following the release of the Hema Committee report and widespread media attention regarding sexual harassment allegations against some office-bearers.”
The decision to disband the executive committee was triggered by the resignation of actor Siddique from the post of general secretary on August 25 following allegations of sexual assault levelled by a woman actor. Since then, the actors against whom the Kerala Police have booked cases over sexual abuse allegations included Mukesh, an MLA of the Communist Party of India (Marxist); former general secretaries of the association Siddique and Edavela Babu; and actors Jayasurya, Maniyanpilla Raju and Sudheesh.
The seismic tremors of the revelations brought focus on the association that was launched in 1994 after several actors voiced support for an organisation to protect the interests of the fraternity. A first of its kind in the Malayalam film industry, it was registered under the Travancore Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act. Around 80 actors had participated in its first official meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram in May, 1994.
Actors M. G. Soman and T. P. Madhavan were the maiden president and secretary, respectively. The late senior actor and comedian Innocent was the longest serving president as he remained at the helm of affairs for nearly 18 years since 2000. Veteran actors Mammootty and Mohanlal had earlier served as secretaries. Today, the association has a total strength of 506 members that include 250 women. They enjoy the right to vote at the annual general body meeting to elect an executive committee for a tenure of three years.
According to the association’s website, a “person who is into full-time acting in feature films for not less than one year shall become a life member by paying the specified fees”. The 17-member executive committee include four women, though none of them had ever been elected as president or secretary till now. It has always tried to “steer clear of the trade union tag by proclaiming its welfare agenda” as reiterated by Mohanlal while addressing the media in the thick of storm on August 31 in Thirvuananthapuram.
Main objectives
As per the association’s bye-law, the main objective of the organisation included “promoting better relations between members and other associations; creating and developing fellowship among the members; enriching the economical status of the members; and helping them on retirement/during distress period as per conditions stipulated from the fund separately maintained for this purpose or from any other fund”. A stipend of ₹5,000 monthly is provided to nearly 116 members, who are suffering from health ailments and in need of financial assistance. The members are also provided with cashless accident and health insurance coverage. To meet its financial requirements, the association has banked on the ‘star value’ of its members from its inception and organised several stage shows in the country and abroad towards fund mobilisation.
The association had a smooth run in its initial tenure after the leadership stayed away from major controversies. However, a decision to hold a stage show in association with a private television channel in March 2004 invited protests from the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce. The apex body in the Malayalam film industry pointed out that the footfalls in cinemas had declined as the audience remained glued to the television to watch such programmes. Despite similar opposition in the later years, the association continued with its shows for television channels to rake in funds for its various activities.
It brought a dent in its public appeal after acclaimed actor Thilakan was expelled in April 2010 for his outbursts against its functioning and his criticism that a lobby led by the “super stars” had undue control over its functioning. Though it did not divulge the names, the Hema Committee report touched upon the ordeal faced by him and referred to the “existence of a power group in the Malayalam film industry”. “If a person, knowingly or unknowingly offend any member of the power group for any silly reason, he may be banned (sic),” it said.
The association suffered a legal setback after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2017 held it responsible, along with the Film Employees Federation of Kerala, for indulging in anti-competitive practices by asking artistes, technicians, and producers not to work with filmmaker Vinayan. In his plea, the director had sought the CCI’s intervention to remove the ban imposed him by the film bodies for speaking up against its unfair practices. Of the total penalty of ₹11.25 lakh imposed by the CCI on the violators, the association was asked to pay ₹4 lakh.
Tumultuous episodes
A faux pas by the association following the arrest of actor Dileep in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a woman actor in a moving car on the night of February 17, 2017 in Kochi triggered a series of tumultuous episodes from within. Its decision to reinstate Dileep, who was ousted after he was named an accused in the abduction and sexual assault case, resulted in the resignation of the members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), including the survivor and actors 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 stated that “AMMA is only an association of artistes and not an employer and hence its activities will not fall under the definition of the workplace”.
Though the association formed an ICC in March 2022, it was short-lived after three of its women members resigned in May 2022 in protest against the leadership’s soft-pedalling on actor-producer Vijay Babu, who was accused of raping a woman actor and later revealing her identity. A similar flip-flop was also evident in its position on the Hema Committee report, though a political storm after its release forced the association to come out in its support after being slammed for its perceived silence. As the cries for a safe and non-discriminatory workspace in the film industry turn louder, the actors’ body is at a crossroads with a change of course inevitable.