Shwetha Menon resigned as AMMA President along with 17-member executive committee after a heated annual general body meeting in Kerala.
The mass resignation followed heated disputes over unclear financial accounts, an absconding treasurer, and other allegations.
An ad hoc committee is expected to be formed soon to run the film body until new leadership is elected.
Shwetha Menon and Kuku Parameswaran scripted history by becoming the first women President and General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) last year. It was a landmark win for the women as they defeated veteran actors Devan and Raveendran.
In less than a year, Menon resigned from the post on Sunday, along with the other office-bearers, following a dispute within the film body.
Menon also stepped down as a member of AMMA.
Who resigned from AMMA executive committee?
The 17-member executive body of AMMA, led by Menon, was formed in August last year after the previous committee, headed by Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, stepped down in 2024 amidst the controversies surrounding the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.
Menon and the entire executive committee resigned on Sunday after an annual general body meeting in Kerala, which had heated arguments over the association's annual report and accounts.
"All the executive committee members have resigned. I have resigned my membership and come out of the organisation," Menon later told reporters, reported PTI.
Why did Shwetha Menon leave AMMA?
The dispute started when Parameswaran presented the annual report. A section of members alleged the document lacked clarity regarding income and expenditure details.
Menon blamed the financial confusion on absent officials and unresolved legacy problems. "From 1 September onwards, all our accounts were in order. But there were several issues related to the earlier committee," she said, adding that she was relieved to have severed ties with the organisation.
Missing treasurer and disputed accounts
"The treasurer of the organisation was absconding. When an AMMA staff member was dismissed and later filed a complaint, the issue was not addressed. Instead, the treasurer went missing, and therefore we could not produce the accounts for that period," Menon said.
"An effort is being made to return the organisation to the hands of people against whom allegations have been raised. That was an agenda," Menon said.
"Without informing us, there was an agenda to remove us. I have a personality, and I will speak my mind. If we were puppets, we could not have run this organisation. But I am not ready to become a puppet," she added.
Veteran actor Mallika Sukumaran said the executive committee committed mistakes and said the body needs leaders who understand the film industry and can articulate issues effectively.
Mass departure leaves AMMA in a leadership crisis
Before the meeting, Joint Secretary Ansiba Hasan had resigned due to internal differences with certain members.
An ad hoc committee is expected to be formed soon to run the film body until new leadership is elected.
The Kerala government ruled out any official mediation. State Minister for Cultural Affairs and Cinema P C Vishnunadh said the government will not intervene, calling the dispute a strictly internal issue for the actors to resolve themselves.
"AMMA is one among many organisations in Kerala. Even if some of its members are MLAs or politicians, when they function within that organisation, they are actors. Let them resolve the issues within the organisation themselves. There is no need for the government to intervene in such matters," he told the media in Thiruvananthapuram.
