Actor Mohanlal resigns as president of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists'

Following a series of allegations of sexual misconduct against many actors in the Malayalam film industry highlighted by the Hema committee report, actor Mohanlal has resigned as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) on Tuesday, 27 August.

Reports indicate that the entire 17-member executive committee also submitted their resignations jointly.

This development comes at a time when Jagadish was being considered for the position of general secretary, following actor Siddique's resignation amid sexual abuse allegations.

The resignation of the 17-executive committee comes after an online meeting. After the meeting, Mohanlal sent out a resignation letter stating that the entire committee was resigning, taking moral responsibility for the sexual harassment accusations.

'In the wake of sexual accusations faced by a few of the officials of the administrative committee of the AMMA after the release of the Hema committee report, the existing administrative committee of AMMA resigns taking moral responsibility,' said Mohanlal in the letter.

He stated that a general meeting will be held in two months, where a new administrative committee would be elected.

'The existing management committee will continue in the interim to ensure uninterrupted continuation of the allowance provided by AMMA to its members, to help with the health insurance being provided and to coordinate the office activities till the general meeting,' Mohanlal continued in the letter. 'We are hopeful that AMMA will have a new leadership capable of renewing and strengthening AMMA. Thanks to everyone, for criticising and correcting.'

Earlier, vice-president Jayan Cherthala had announced that the executive committee would meet on Tuesday. However, a senior official from the association later clarified that no such meeting had been scheduled.

The resignation of Siddique, who had already stepped down amidst allegations of sexual abuse, had intensified the search for a new general secretary. While actor Baburaj, the incumbent joint general secretary, was the next in line for the position, there was growing pressure for him to step aside due to similar allegations against him.

Reports had suggested that Jagadish, AMMA's vice-president, was a strong candidate for the role of replacement general secretary. His support for the Hema Commission report had seen increased support for him in recent days.

However, Jagadish cited scheduling conflicts, as he has multiple film commitments in the months ahead and would face challenges traveling frequently between Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi for meetings.

The Hema commission report was released by the Kerala government on 19 August 2024 after a five-year wait. It stated that sexual exploitation is rampant in the Malayalam film industry and that women are asked to 'compromise' in exchange for work.

The Hema commission, instituted under Justice K. Hema, was tasked to look into problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry following a 2017 sexual assault case involving the actor Dileep. The case, which saw an actress abducted and molested by several persons, including Dileep as one of the accused, is still ongoing.

The report, filed in 2019, was not released earlier owing to its sensitive content.

According to the report, the Malayalam film industry denies opportunities to those who are not ready to 'cooperate' and grant sexual favours. There is a general perception that actresses are here to make money and will therefore share a bed with anyone.