Kochi, June 22 (IANS) Can actor-turned-first time Congress MLA, Ramesh Pisharody, bring back stability to the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA)? That is the question confronting the Malayalam film industry after the organisation plunged into its biggest leadership crisis in years, with the entire 17-member governing committee resigning following a stormy General Body meeting.

The AMMA is an organisation long known for its larger than life personalities, competing egos and internal equations and Pisharody, who has now been named convenor of a nine-member ad-hoc committee, has the difficult task of steering an organisation that has traditionally depended as much on personal equations as on formal structures.

They have been appointed for a four month tenure before which they have to ensure a newly elected committee is in place.

For years, AMMA was largely associated with the steady leadership of Innocent, whose long tenure was marked by his ability to balance the strong personalities within the film fraternity.

His style of handling egos, resolving disagreements and keeping the organisation united helped AMMA maintain a certain stability.

Innocent was president of AMMA for 15 years till 2018 and he passed away in 2023.

The challenge before Pisharody is to recreate that balance at a time when the organisation has been deeply divided.

The crisis erupted over the annual report and financial statements presented at the General Body meeting.

Members including Baburaj, Siddique, Edavela Babu and Renji Panicker questioned the lack of clarity in the accounts and opposed the approval of the report.

The women led committee headed by Shwetha Menon had taken charge about a year ago with hopes that it would help rebuild AMMA’s image.

However, criticism over procedural lapses and internal disagreements eventually forced the leadership to step down.

Shwetha alleged that there was a conspiracy to remove the committee and claimed that she was not willing to become a ‘puppet’. AMMA’s recent history has also seen turbulence.

Even Mohanlal, during his tenure as president, faced severe pressure after the release of the Justice Hema Committee Report brought renewed scrutiny on the Malayalam film industry.

With senior stars now looking towards Pisharody, the responsibility is enormous.

Whether he can bridge the widening gaps, manage the competing interests and return AMMA to a position of credibility remains the biggest test before him.

The next few months could determine the future direction of one of Malayalam cinema’s most influential organisations.

–IANS

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