Not going to be play doll: Actor Shwetha Menon feels relieved after film body exit
Shweta Menon and the entire AMMA executive committee resigned after a no-confidence move at the annual meeting. Her exit has sharpened the row over accounts, internal dissent and control of the actors' body.
Actor and the first woman president of the Malayalam film body, Shwetha Menon, has spoken out for the first time after stepping down as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), saying she refused to remain "a puppet" and alleging that "some accused have taken over the organisation". She also claimed her committee had uncovered financial discrepancies that predated its tenure.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Menon said she was "not going to be someone's play doll" and that she was "not ready to be a puppet."
She said, "I am not going to be someone's play doll. And since we did not have any treasurer in our committee, we could not surface proper accounts. We pointed out all the mistakes, but the main mistake was from the previous committee, the accounts of which were all wrong. The dealings were in cash, less in white money. This had been happening for many months. I am relieved to have come out of the committee. I am feeling bad for the people in the committee, apart from some of them."
AMMA's 17-member committee resigns
Menon's remarks came a day after AMMA's entire 17-member executive committee resigned following a stormy annual general body meeting in Kochi. The leadership stepped down after a section of members moved a no-confidence motion against the committee, bringing the current administration to an abrupt end.
The resignations followed angry exchanges over the receipts and payments placed before members by general secretary Kuku Parameswaran. Several members were reported to have signed the no-confidence motion during the meeting. The current committee took office in 2025, with Menon becoming the first woman to lead the actors' association.
Menon's remarks also turned attention to the earlier AMMA committee headed by Mohanlal. That body resigned in 2024 in the wake of the Justice Hema Committee report on how women were treated in Malayalam cinema.
In an earlier interaction at the India Today Conclave in September 2025, Menon had also reacted to an obscenity case filed against her when she was contesting for the post of AMMA president. She said she was shocked that a case had been filed over films she had acted in 12 years ago.
Actor and the first woman president of the Malayalam film body, Shwetha Menon, has spoken out for the first time after stepping down as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), saying she refused to remain "a puppet" and alleging that "some accused have taken over the organisation". She also claimed her committee had uncovered financial discrepancies that predated its tenure.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Menon said she was "not going to be someone's play doll" and that she was "not ready to be a puppet."
She said, "I am not going to be someone's play doll. And since we did not have any treasurer in our committee, we could not surface proper accounts. We pointed out all the mistakes, but the main mistake was from the previous committee, the accounts of which were all wrong. The dealings were in cash, less in white money. This had been happening for many months. I am relieved to have come out of the committee. I am feeling bad for the people in the committee, apart from some of them."
AMMA's 17-member committee resigns
Menon's remarks came a day after AMMA's entire 17-member executive committee resigned following a stormy annual general body meeting in Kochi. The leadership stepped down after a section of members moved a no-confidence motion against the committee, bringing the current administration to an abrupt end.
The resignations followed angry exchanges over the receipts and payments placed before members by general secretary Kuku Parameswaran. Several members were reported to have signed the no-confidence motion during the meeting. The current committee took office in 2025, with Menon becoming the first woman to lead the actors' association.
Menon's remarks also turned attention to the earlier AMMA committee headed by Mohanlal. That body resigned in 2024 in the wake of the Justice Hema Committee report on how women were treated in Malayalam cinema.
In an earlier interaction at the India Today Conclave in September 2025, Menon had also reacted to an obscenity case filed against her when she was contesting for the post of AMMA president. She said she was shocked that a case had been filed over films she had acted in 12 years ago.
