Turmoil in Tinsel Town: Malayalam movie actors’ fights turn from reel to real

On June 21, 2026, on a balmy Sunday morning, Malayalam film stars had started arriving at a convention center in Ernakulam in their luxury vehicles.

Waving and exchanging pleasantries with a number of mediapersons who were excitedly clicking pictures and snapping photos of the stars of the Tinsel town, they walked to the conference hall where the annual general meeting of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) was scheduled to be held.

Inside the hall, they smiled, hugged each other, shook hands with some and chatted. The entire atmosphere was lovely, pleasant and friendly.

No one had any idea that this was the calm before the storm.

A few minutes into the hearing, an angry Shwetha Menon, the first female president of the actors’ society, walked out of the meeting, announcing her resignation from the post.

It was the no-confidence motion moved by a section of members against her that provoked Shwetha to announce her resignation. An angry Shwetha also announced that she was quitting the primary membership of the organisation.

The war of words begins

What ensued after his announcement was a full-fledged war of words between various actors, reportedly over allegiance to various factions and factions in the organization.

Shwetha, who was elected to the post of president less than a year ago, defends her decision to one day end the term. “I decided to quit because I didn’t want to be a puppet in the organization,” he says.

The latest crisis in the cast began when Ansiba Hassan, who resigned as the joint secretary of the organization four months ago, accused his former colleague in the executive committee, Tiny Tom, of making social and defamatory remarks against him. Thus began the ugliest debate among the members of the association, which consists of nearly 500 players, since its establishment.

The stormy annual general meeting was followed by a series of incidents and complaints to the police from warring members.

“It was a historic meeting in every respect,” says Ansiba, who rose to fame through the Mohanlal starrer Drishyam franchise about the outcome of the meeting.

Battles in the courtroom

The simmering distrust of the association has now turned into a protracted courtroom fight.

Shwetha, however, reversed her decision to resign and opposed the formation of a special committee to handle the affairs of the association until new officers are elected. The Ernakulam Munsiff Court stayed the functioning of the interim body until it issues further directions.

The actors’ union, launched in 1994 after many actors expressed support for “an organization that protects the interests of the brotherhood”, appears to be facing its biggest existential crisis as rival camps appear in no mood to give up.

Hema Committee report

Nearly two years ago, the organization had faced a similar crisis when the 17-member executive committee led by Mohanlal resigned “following the publication of the Hema Committee report and widespread media attention on allegations of sexual harassment against some officials”.

Actor Joy Mathew says the current situation is the result of a lack of capable leadership that is aware of how to run an organization effectively.

“We need people who are familiar with democratic values. The association has been reduced to a space driven by faction fighting mixed with people thirsty for unbridled power. The ruling administration lacks a common program or vision as most of the elected members contest individually and not as a panel,” says Joy, who has resigned from the Shwetha-led executive committee amid the ongoing impasse.

The internal rift worsened after a section of members questioned the leadership over allegations of corporate funding and sponsorships of individuals who had previously faced various allegations. Apart from organizing star-studded stage shows with television channels to generate revenue, the association also accepts donations to run welfare programmes, including financial assistance to sick members.

“I had been targeted ever since I opposed the board’s decision to accept donations from a temple foundation, arguing that religious and political attire should be kept out of the association,” says Ansiba.

“The sponsorship was initially considered for ₹ 1 crore but was later reduced to ₹ 75 lakh. I don’t know what happened to the remaining ₹ 25 lakh,” he claims.

Differences in sponsorship

The differences over accepting sponsorship without checking donors’ credentials escalated after actor Maala Parvathi came forward with an alleged audio clip featuring the voice of a woman leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that a major business group would donate ₹15 crore to the association if Shwetha continues at the helm.

“We suspect whether Shwetha’s insistence on sticking to duty is somehow linked to a gratuitous arrangement involving the said finance,” claims Maala Parvathi. “The association does not need corporate financing. Even though members have political beliefs, they cannot impose their party agenda on the organization,” he says.

Actor Baburaj, former joint secretary of the association, launched a scathing attack on Shwetha and accused her of collecting kickbacks to source candidates from within the organization to contest on a BJP ticket in the Kerala Assembly elections. “The panel led by Shwetha also failed to provide proper accounting statements to the members. The treatment meted out to Ansiba was unfair as the leadership claimed that this had nothing to do with her complaint,” he alleges.

Shwetha’s stance

Shwetha, who responds to the allegations mostly through her social media accounts, denies the accusations.

“I do not understand the logic behind the claim that a national party, which has been in power for over 12 years, should give me money to field candidates in Kerala. Since the association’s board has members from various political affiliations, including the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the BJP, there is no reason for me to hide my political affiliations, if any,” he says.

In a letter to members, he says his panel has noticed “disruptions caused by lack of experience.” “We have initiated the necessary corrective measures within the organization. However, I will do my best to ensure that those mentioned in the Hema Committee report do not lead the association. My struggle is against the power group that humiliated me and tried to expel me from the annual general assembly meeting,” he says.

patriarchal structure

The latest incident has exposed systemic fissures within an organization struggling to cope with the challenges it faces and emerging from its long-standing image as a patriarchal structure.

As actors Revathy and Padmapriya put it in a social media post: “The association was intended to be the collective voice of all actors. But it has increasingly been shaped by patriarchy and power politics, and its founding ideals have weakened.” The duo were among those who resigned recently.

The duo, who are also founding members of the Women in Cinema Collective, say the resignations following the Hema Committee’s report on the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry were not an act of principle. “These were evasions of responsibility. When attention was lost, the same old order returned. The government continues to find new ways to protect itself. Faces change. Methods change. But the structures that make inequality possible remain untouched,” they say.

The seeds of discontent, fueled by allegations that some vested interests were trying to sneak their agenda into the association, had led to voices in Malayalam cinema sounding the alarm.

‘Threat to secular character’

“Malayalam cinema needs to remain vigilant against attempts by the Sangh Parivar to destabilize the secular character of Kerala society,” warns veteran filmmaker Kamal.

“The visibility of such initiatives in Malayalam cinema remains a fact and a matter of concern. It was disturbing to hear reports of socially charged references being made against Ansiba. Senior actors of Malayalam cinema, which has always remained secular, should address the concerns raised by him,” he says.

Amid the high-decibel infighting, several senior members came forward and stressed the need to protect the interests of their members. Actor and former Minister KB Ganesh Kumar says, “This organization has a huge involvement in the community. It is a huge support system for many sick members and we cannot let this go off the rails.”

“We must understand that the association was established to create and foster camaraderie among members and to help those in need of support,” reminds actor Raveendran. “There may be differences of opinion among members, the situation may get out of control. But we agree that no one should try to disband the association,” he adds.

Actor Jayan Cherthala, who resigned from the Shwetha-led executive committee, said everyone should abide by the decisions taken in the general body meeting. “There is no point in washing our dirty laundry in public. The general assembly is the highest decision-making platform of the organization,” he says.

Despite such calls for unity, there are no immediate signs of thaw between the feuding factions, as the association faces new uncertainties in the wake of an ongoing legal battle.

Actor-turned-politician Ramesh Pisharody, who resigned from the post of interim committee convenor, said the body will be ready for the selection of the next incumbent until the court gives its final verdict.

“How can a person who publicly announced that he resigned from his membership as a principal member of the association apply to the court to question the formation of the interim committee as the president of the association?” he asks. “We are not here to engage in street fights, but to ensure the well-being of our members,” he says.

But Shwetha is not giving up yet and seems determined to continue her fight. “I will not surrender and I will not back down,” he says.

The organization is looking at a bleak future as the fighting stars are determined to take the war to newer levels.