AMMA crisis: Shwetha Menon defends her AMMA presidency, claims support from superstars

Barely hours after colleagues in the film industry and members of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) levelled serious allegations against her, including communal polarisation and a corporate-political nexus on Saturday, Shwetha Menon sought to put up a brave front, claiming that her decision to remain as AMMA president has the backing of superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal.

In a Facebook post under the banner ‘Satyameva Jayate’, Ms. Menon expressed gratitude to the superstars and AMMA members who stood by her, urging her not to resign and to remain steadfast in her position. She said that an alleged attempt by “a section to hijack” AMMA by exploiting disputes within the organisation had been thwarted thanks to the intervention of the court.

As a postscript, Ms. Menon took a swipe at “10 or 15 persons” who, she claimed, had “tried to sneak in through the back door.” It is the majority of members—not a handful of individuals — who decide how AMMA should function, she said.

“Those who wish to be part of the AMMA committee should do so by contesting elections as we did, rather than attempt entry through the back door,” her post concluded.

Ms. Menon, however, did not respond to several serious allegations raised earlier in the day by fellow women actors, including Ansiba Hassan, Maala Parvathy, and Usha Haseena.