Controversies that erupted AMMA through the years; from Thilakan, Vinayan to WCC

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the flooding of sexual accusations coupled with the release of Hema committee report, the Film actor’s organization AMMA is going through the worst crisis ever since its inception.

Actors Venu Nagavally and Murali were the brains behind the organisation and soon Murali named it ‘AMMA’. MG Soman was the first president from 1994 to 1997 with Mammootty and Mohanlal as vice presidents. TP Madhavan as Secretary, Venu Nagavally as Joint Secretary and Jagadeesh as Treasurer were part of the first committee. Sukumari, Balachandra Menon, KB Ganeshkumar, Innocent, Madhu, Maniyanpilla Raju, Murali, Nedumudi Venu, Srinivasan, Suresh Gopi, Cochin Haneefa and others were members of the executive committee. The tenure of a governing body is three years.

The motive of the organization was to work for the welfare of artists, improve the financial condition of the members, and provide financial assistance to the actors now leading retiree life. The organization also intended to help actors suffering from physical problems. The first ten years were heydays with little to no controversies.

In 2004, the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce came forward against the participation of actors in the stage show on the Asianet channel.

However, the first major eruption within AMMA came in 2010 after veteran actor Thilakan came forward accusing a superstar of taking away his opportunities in movies to 'settle personnel scores'. Soon, Thilakan walked away from AMMA inviting big support from the public.

Another controversy involved director Vinayan, after the organisation banned members of AMMA from acting in Vinayan’s film. Based on a petition filed by director Vinayan in 2012, the Competition Commission of India imposed a fine of Rs 11.25 lakh on AMMA and FEFKA in 2017.

The last and the final nail in the coffin came in 2017, when an actress in mollywood was assaulted inside a moving car, igniting state-wide protest and shock. Criticism fell on AMMA for shielding accused actor Dileep in the case. Young actors including Prithviraj, Asif Ali, and Ramya Nambeesan rebelled against the decision marking a crucial epitaph for the organization.