The leadership tussle within the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMAMA) has entered a new phase after the actors Joy Mathew, Jayan Cherthala and formally resigned from the Executive Committee headed by Kailash Shweta Menon.
Resignation after controversy over ad hoc committee
The resignations were submitted after Shweta Menon publicly challenged the legitimacy of the ad hoc committee through a detailed social media statement. In his post, he maintains that he retains the position of AMMA president as he has not officially resigned from the post.Earlier, members of the ad hoc committee said that neither Shweta Menon nor any member of its executive panel had formally submitted their resignations. This was despite the announcement of the dissolution of the executive committee at the association’s annual general meeting held last month.The ad hoc committee headed by Ramesh Pisharodi has already started working and held its first meeting recently with the leadership issue pending.
Jayan Cherthala and Kailas explain their decision
Speaking to On Manorama, about his resignation, Kailash confirmed that he has resigned from the executive committee. However, he described it as a personal decision and did not elaborate.Jayan Cherthala also confirmed his resignation with the same portal, saying that his decision was guided by ethical considerations. According to him, the declaration that was made before the meeting of the General Assembly deserves respect.He said, “Our dissolution was announced before the members assembled in the general meeting. According to the organizational hierarchy, this decision carries validity because it was made before the general assembly. There may be legal arguments that the decision is invalid, but I respect the general body and the decisions made there.”Jayan also revealed that he was the first of the three to resign, followed by Jay Mathew and Kailash.Meanwhile, Joy Mathew said that she no longer sees any purpose in being with a divided organisation. He said that, from a legal point of view, Shweta Menon remained the president of the association as she had not submitted a formal resignation letter.
Shweta Menon said, she will not resign
Shweta Menon reiterated that she has no plans to relinquish her position until she clears her name and establishes her innocence regarding the allegations leveled against her executive committee.In a statement shared on Instagram, he wrote, “I have remained silent for AMMA for so long. I thought that if I remained silent, the controversy surrounding AMMA would end. But since my reputation is constantly being targeted and tarnished, I will not resign without proving my innocence.”He added, “Today, they are saying that I have betrayed the members… that I have left AMMA. No… I have not betrayed anyone, I have not left AMMA. In the AMMA Annual General Meeting held on June 21, 2026, a few persons (to be precise, 10-15 AMMA members) came to the meeting. Force our Executive Committee to resign.They circulated a pre-printed resolution containing various baseless allegations against our Executive Committee. We had clear, fact-based and legally sound answers to every complaint.”The actor said, “Though that resolution was handed over to me, it was never passed under Article XII(e) of the AMMA bye-laws. Out of the 243 members present at the meeting, it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority of 162 votes. Hence, the resolution was not passed and has no legal validity.Today, they are claiming that the ad-hoc committee was formed based on the decision of the General Assembly.”
Leadership uncertainty continues
AMMA’s leadership crisis remains unresolved as three members have now officially resigned and Shweta Menon continues to debate the legal standing of the ad hoc committee. All eyes are now on the association’s next steps as members await more clarity on leadership.
