Revamp in crisis-hit Malayalam film body AMMA; actors Asha Aravind, Sijoy Varghese named vice-presidents

Actors Asha Aravind and Sijoy Varghese have been selected as the vice-presidents of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) in a revamp after the actors’ body plunged into organisational turmoil following the general body meeting in Kochi on June 21, 2026.

An executive committee meeting of the association held here on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) elected them to the posts of vice-president, which had remained vacant after the resignation of actors Lakshmipriya and Jayan Cherthala.

Actor Neena Kurup is the new treasurer. She replaces actor and former treasurer Unni Shivpal, who was asked to go on leave following an alleged workplace harassment complaint by an employee of the association.

Actor Sarayu Mohan has been elected as the joint secretary in place of actor Ansiba Hassan, who had stepped down from the post in February 2026 after accusing actor Tini Tom and a section of the members of subjecting her to character assassination and making alleged communal remarks targeting her.

The executive committee accepted the resignation of Jayan Cherthala from the post of vice-president. It has not yet accepted the resignations submitted by actors Joy Mathew and Kailash. They have been requested to reconsider their decision, according to sources.

The internal rift in the association had worsened after Shweta Menon, its first woman president, announced her resignation after a section of the association moved a no-confidence motion against the leadership at a general body meeting held in June. The leadership was accused of failing to run the day-to-day affairs of the organisation and resolve the disputes within the outfit.

She later retracted her decision to step down and challenged the decision taken at the general body meeting to form an ad-hoc panel led by actor and MLA Ramesh Pisharody. The Ernakulam Munsif Court had stayed the functioning of the ad hoc committee on her plea. Mr. Pisharody stepped down from the post of convenor of the ad-hoc committee following the court order.