Association of Malayalam Movie Artists’ (AMMA) new set of office bearers for 2021-2024 were elected by its members on Sunday in Kochi.
Mohanlal and Edavela Babu were unanimously chosen as president and general secretary, respectively, while Shwetha Menon and Maniyanpilla Raju were elected as the vice presidents. Asha Sharath lost the contest. Siddique and Jayasurya became the treasurer and joint secretary, respectively.
AMMA, the organisation dedicated to actors working in the Malayalam film industry, was instituted in 1994. As many as 316 artists participated in AMMA’s annual general body meeting on Sunday and cast their votes.
In the contest for the executive committee, Honey Rose and Nivin Pauly lost to Lal and Vijay Babu. This time, four women – Lena, Rachana Narayanankutty, Manju Pillai, Surabhi Lakshmi – were elected to the 11-member executive committee. The other members who make up the new committee include Babu Raj, Sudhir Karamana, Tini Tom, Tovino Thomas, and Unni Mukundan.
Addressing the gathering, Mohanlal, President of AMMA, said, “The Covid-19 induced lockdown has affected everyone across the globe. Even in our industry, a lot of people did not have work. But with an organisation like AMMA, we were able to protect them. During Onam, we gave them gifts and also provided financial assistance for those in need. I feel blessed about this.”
Noting that things are now getting better and people are going back to work in the industry, Mohanlal said that they could do a lot of things for the association and for charity in the coming days.
When asked about AMMA’s plans to produce a film through the association, Mohanlal said that while the project could not take off earlier due to the Covid-19 situation, it is still on the cards.
In 2008, a film titled Twenty:20 was produced by actor Dileep on behalf of AMMA to provide financial support to struggling Malayalam actors. Directed by Joshiy, the film featured actors who were part of AMMA and they worked without payment in a bid to raise funds for the welfare of the industry.
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After the elections, AMMA Vice President Shwetha Menon said, “I have been part of the executive committee for the last three years and I am happy to have become the first vice president of the association. The committee consists of 40% women and I appreciate Mohanlal for making it happen under his leadership.”
The executive committee also noted that the AMMA’s bylaws have been revised to give greater priority to women’s safety. The policies were amended after a discussion about the demands raised by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). The office bearers stated that an internal committee will be formed to prevent atrocities against women in the industry. This committee will consist of five internal and one external members.
General Secretary Edavela Babu said that WCC members Revathy and Padmapriya had expressed satisfaction over the amendments.