AMMA crisis deepens: members demand financial transparency, fresh polls

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AMMA crisis deepens: members demand financial transparency, fresh polls

Synopsis

AMMA's post-Hema Committee reform is unravelling in public. Senior actors Mala Parvathy and Mallika Sukumaran are openly demanding financial disclosures and fresh elections, alleging opacity and defamation — raising urgent questions about whether Malayalam cinema's most powerful actors' body can govern itself at all.

Key Takeaways

Mala Parvathy demanded that AMMA's income and expenditure accounts be made public, alleging members never received satisfactory financial explanations from treasurer Unni Sivapal .
Veteran actor Mallika Sukumaran called for the dissolution of the executive committee and immediate fresh elections.
Sukumaran accused AMMA General Secretary Kukku Paramesweran of spreading defamatory remarks and alleged the office operates with excessive secrecy.
Both members have urged superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal to intervene, though senior figures are unlikely to step in publicly, according to reports.
The crisis follows an earlier leadership overhaul triggered by the public release of the Hema Committee report.

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) is facing its most serious internal crisis in recent memory, with a vocal section of members publicly demanding financial transparency and the dissolution of the current executive committee. The dispute, centred in Kochi, has drawn in some of the biggest names in Malayalam cinema and threatens to further destabilise an organisation already weakened by earlier controversies.

Background: From Hema Committee to New Leadership

The current turmoil has its roots in the fallout from the Hema Committee report, whose public release triggered a sweeping leadership overhaul at AMMA. The earlier team, which included actor Mohanlal and Siddique, stepped aside to make way for a women-led executive headed by actors Swetha Menon and Kukku Paramesweran. That transition was widely seen as a corrective step. However, according to reports, the underlying tensions within the organisation were never fully resolved.

Mala Parvathy Calls for Accounts to Go Public

Actor Mala Parvathy has emerged as one of the most prominent voices demanding accountability. She called on the association to make its income and expenditure records publicly available, arguing that the funds belong to the broader industry. 'The money was earned using the faces of great actors. Its accounts should be made public,' she said. Parvathy also revealed that treasurer Unni Sivapal had been tasked with clarifying the financial records, but members were reportedly never given satisfactory explanations.

Mallika Sukumaran Demands Dissolution and Fresh Elections

Veteran actor Mallika Sukumaran — mother of actors Prithviraj and Indrajith — launched a sharp attack on the current leadership, calling for the executive committee to be dissolved and fresh elections held without delay. 'It has become such a shame that one cannot even walk outside,' she said, describing the situation as deeply embarrassing for the Malayalam film industry.

Sukumaran urged superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal to intervene and restore order. She also accused AMMA General Secretary Kukku Paramesweran of spreading defamatory remarks against her, and questioned the organisation's administrative opacity. 'Why are there so many CCTV cameras in the AMMA office? Everything is being done secretly and behind closed doors,' she alleged. She further dismissed Swetha Menon's claim of ignorance about the controversy, and alleged that actor Ansiba Hassan's views had been influenced by a third party. According to Sukumaran, actor Tiny Tom was among those who had earlier recommended including Ansiba and Sarayu Mohan on the committee.

Calls for Senior Intervention — and Why They May Go Unheeded

Multiple members have now called on Mammootty and Mohanlal to step in, given their stature within the industry and their historical association with AMMA. However, analysts and observers within the industry suggest it is unlikely that either star — or other senior figures who helped build the organisation — will publicly intervene at this stage. This comes amid a broader pattern of AMMA's institutional credibility being questioned since the Hema Committee disclosures.

What Happens Next

The mounting pressure on AMMA's current leadership to address both financial and administrative grievances shows no sign of abating. With public accusations now on record from multiple senior members, the association faces a critical choice: convene a transparent general body meeting and open its books, or risk a prolonged and damaging public standoff. The outcome will have implications not just for AMMA but for the broader governance of professional bodies in Indian regional cinema.

Point of View

Which means reform efforts collapse the moment the spotlight shifts. The Hema Committee-era overhaul installed new faces but apparently did not install new systems — no audited accounts, no clear grievance mechanism, no accountability framework. The calls for Mammootty and Mohanlal to intervene are themselves telling: when a formal body cannot self-govern, members fall back on star power as a substitute for due process. That is not a solution; it is a continuation of the same problem in a different costume.
NationPress
11 Jul 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the current crisis in AMMA about?
A section of AMMA members, including actors Mala Parvathy and Mallika Sukumaran, is publicly demanding that the association release its financial accounts and dissolve the current executive committee to hold fresh elections. The dispute centres on alleged financial opacity and administrative misconduct within the organisation.
What triggered the latest round of conflict in AMMA?
While the immediate trigger is a dispute over financial transparency and alleged defamation, the broader context is the fallout from the Hema Committee report, whose public release in 2024 forced an earlier leadership overhaul at AMMA. The new women-led executive has now itself come under fire from members.
Who are the key figures demanding accountability?
Actor Mala Parvathy has demanded that AMMA's accounts be made public and flagged the role of treasurer Unni Sivapal. Veteran actor Mallika Sukumaran has gone further, calling for the dissolution of the executive committee and accusing General Secretary Kukku Paramesweran of spreading defamatory remarks.
Have Mammootty and Mohanlal responded to calls for intervention?
Neither Mammootty nor Mohanlal has publicly responded to the calls for intervention as of reports available. Observers within the industry suggest it is unlikely that senior figures will step forward at this stage, despite the mounting pressure.
What does this mean for AMMA's credibility?
The public nature of the accusations — covering financial opacity, alleged defamation, and administrative secrecy — represents a significant blow to AMMA's credibility, especially following the Hema Committee-era reforms that were meant to restore trust. The association now faces pressure to open its books and hold a transparent general body meeting.
Nation Press
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