The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) is currently going through an intense internal political conflict after executive member Tini Tom, in a recent press conference in Kochi, publicly criticised the “corrupt” leadership structure and the misuse of power and authority by some members of the association.
Tom stated that after a series of events went unnoticed, President Shweta Menon herself realised that she was just being treated as a ‘rubber stamp’ with no real authority or power. He recalled that during Edavela Babu’s tenure as the General Secretary, a bylaw was introduced which gave the Gen. Secretary most of the administrative power. Currently, under that structure, Cuckoo Parameswaran exercises maximum authority, leaving even the Vice Presidents and Joint Secretaries with limited power.
The controversy sparked when office manager Athulya filed a police complaint against Treasurer Unni Sivapal and General Secretary Cuckoo Parameswaran. According to reports, Athulya accused Sivapal of workplace harassment, claiming that though her duty hours were from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., she had to work until midnight because the Sivapal usually arrived around 5 p.m.
She also claimed she was even asked to arrange food for the treasurer’s daughter one day, when he was on leave. Athulya stated that when she reported the Treasurer's misconduct to the General Secretary, she was threatened and subsequently dismissed. Athulya has reported the issue to the Kochi Police Commissioner and the Labour Officer.
Tini Tom further stated that the executive committee collectively appoints employees, but recent dismissals were allegedly carried out without the knowledge of most of the executive committee members. He emphasised that even the President, Shweta Menon, was unaware of the decision until late. This naturally led to the administrative transparency of the committee’s decision-making getting called out.
Tom also raised concerns regarding the financial transparency of the association, comparing it to Edavela Babu’s term. He stated that “Babu Chettan used to maintain proper records for everything — even noting down something as small as changing a bulb and the expenses involved. But later, that practice disappeared, and many things started happening as per personal interests.”
He added that “Kailash, who headed the Accounts Committee, had repeatedly requested proper accounts and expense statements, but many financial records were reportedly not produced despite repeated requests. Dr Rony, who handled insurance matters, also found it difficult to question the new office-bearers personally.” Tom also pointed out that the current rules allowed the Secretary and Treasurer to sign off on cheques by themselves, stripping away the President’s authority and reducing it to a ‘rubber stamp’.
The issue intensified further after Joint Secretary Ansiba Hasan resigned amid the growing controversy, urging Tom to break the silence regarding the matter. Although AMMA leaders have officially stated that her resignation was due to “personal and professional reasons”, there are ongoing speculations that the issue is worsening from within.
Meanwhile, reports claim that AMMA has withdrawn the termination of the employee. Shwetha Menon has clarified that the dismissal was revoked. She informed the media that the committee decided to place Unni Sivapal on extended leave until the case is resolved.
AMMA is reportedly considering amendments to its bylaws, particularly to redistribute powers and strengthen the authority of the President and the executive committee in future decision-making.