Over two months after the office bearers of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), including president Mohanlal, submitted a mass resignation, actor and Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi has announced that a new executive committee will soon be formed. Suresh made this statement while addressing questions from the media as he exited AMMA's office in Kochi, after having attended the Kerala Piravi celebrations there. The Thrissur MP arrived for the event with his family. When asked about the timing for forming a new committee and if any discussions were held on this matter, Suresh revealed that today's gathering marked the beginning of that process. "Let responsible ones come forward now," he added. On being asked about his view on the previous committee's mass resignation, the parliamentarian responded with a wide and sarcastic smile and said, "I have shared my opinion (on this) with the organisation," indicating his reluctance to make any public comment on the matter. He also declined to comment on whether Mohanlal would return as AMMA’s president. Cinema Anatomy | Big B: Amal Neerad and Mammootty’s actioner that redefined the movie hero and taught Fahadh Faasil a valuable lesson on crying on screen For now, an ad-hoc committee has taken on temporary leadership of AMMA. According to the organisation’s bylaws, members of the resigned executive committee serve on this interim committee. Former AMMA vice president Jayan Cherthala told the media that Suresh Gopi expressed his confidence in and satisfaction with the ad-hoc committee’s functioning. Jayan also noted that they have until June 2025 to conduct the elections, adding that discussions regarding the new executive committee will be held later. Following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which highlighted severe discrimination and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, several survivors spoke out, revealing workplace mistreatment and levelling sexual misconduct allegations against many male insiders. ICYMI | ‘Raj Kapoor tailored my look for Bobby,’ Dimple Kapadia recalls how she went through the ‘painful’ process of getting into the look Prominent among those named as a perpetrator was AMMA general secretary Siddique, whom a female actor accused of rape and this led to his resignation from the organisation. Other notable figures, such as filmmaker Ranjith, actor-legislator Mukesh, actor-filmmaker Balachandra Menon, thespians Edavela Babu, Maniyanpilla Raju, Jayasurya and Baburaj, and director Sreekumar Menon, were also accused by various survivors. The demand for a committee to examine women’s issues in the industry arose after the February 2017 abduction and sexual assault of a prominent female actor in a moving van in Kochi. This incident underscored the lack of safety for women in the industry, while the subsequent arrest of actor Dileep, accused of orchestrating the crime, further exposed the industry’s darker side.
