Amid the controversy surrounding reinstatement of actor Dileep into the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), Dileep's former wife and actress Manju Warrier had maintained silence. Putting a rest to all speculations, Manju Warrier made her stance clear—she will always stand by the survivor actress who was abducted and sexually assaulted in February.
With the widening rift between AMMA and the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), and Manju's silence, there were also rumours of Manju quitting the WCC. Speaking about comments on social media that questioned her silence, she told Manorama Online: “I have always had only one stand—I have always been with her. However, I don't think this is something I need to keep declaring repeatedly. She knows it. All those who have known both of us closely know it. Ours is a bond that was formed even before hashtags and likes. And that shall remain always, and it will remain the same even after this hullabaloo and hashtags are over.”
Manju Warrier further said that controversies will come and go and that she doesn't want to mix up personal relationships with this. “With respect to organisations, I have taken my stand whenever and wherever necessary,” she said.
When AMMA announced its decision to reinstate Dileep, who was accused in a conspiracy to sexually assault an actress, four members of WCC—the sexual assault survivor, Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambeesan and Geethu Mohandas quit AMMA.
In a note published by the WCC on its Facebook page, the actress subjected to the assault wrote, "I am resigning from AMMA, not because of the decision to reinstate the accused actor. Even before, when the said actor snatched roles from me, the organisation did not act on my complaints. When I was subjected to such an experience, the organisation which I was also a part of, tried to protect him. I realise it is no use being a part of such an organisation any more."
After much hullabaloo, AMMA members are scheduled to meet actresses Revathy, Parvathy and Padmapriya of the WCC on August 7.