Malayalam film industry women revolt: Rima, Geetu, Remya, survivor resign from AMMA

The first to resign from the film body was the survivor who was brutally assaulted in February 2017.

Flix Mollywood

Several core members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) resigned from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) on Wednesday, following AMMA’s decision to take back rape accused Dileep into their fold.

The first to resign from the film body was the survivor who was brutally assaulted in February 2017.

In a personal note, the survivor said, "Prior to this, this actor has snatched away opportunities of acting from me. When I had complained at that time, AMMA did not act seriously on my complaint. And when such a terrible incident happened, an organisation that I am also a part of tried to protect the man who has been accused of the crime. Realising that there is no purpose in being a part of such an organisation, I hereby resign."

The WCC, which was formed soon after the attack, has several prominent women from the film industry. Others who stepped down from AMMA are actors Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambeeshan and director Geetu Mohandas.

Geetu Mohandas in her note to the film body said, "I am resigning from AMMA. I should have done this long back. I had understood when I was a working committee member of AMMA that it is tough to question AMMA's decisions when being a part of it. AMMA needs people who follow the decision of the leadership without questioning. Our voices are getting drowned there. We cannot allow that anymore. I stand with my friend and will fight AMMA's such irresponsible actions from outside."

Actor Rima Kallingal who had lambasted AMMA for its insensitivity in an interview to Reporter TV said in her note, "What happened right now is not a problem that can be confined to a single person or a single organisation. I'm not leaving 'AMMA' for just this one problem. I'm leaving with the hope that the next generation will be able to courageously continue with full self respect and without making any compromises."

Remya Nambeeshan, a close friend of the survivor's, said in her note, "Resigning from AMMA. My resignation is to protest the highly irresponsible stance taken in view of the current circumstances. The organisation has taken a very deceitful and inhuman stance against our colleague who has suffered a gruesome assault. Primarily, I believe in being a good human being. Let justice prevail."

AMMA, under the newly appointed president Mohanlal, had reinstated Dileep, who stands accused of being the mastermind behind the assault which shocked Kerala. AMMA had previously been forced to remove Dileep after he was arrested by the police. Members of the WCC as well as actors like Prithviraj had, at the time, demanded his removal.

However, the narrative began to change soon after with Dileep being painted in sympathetic light and receiving open support from prominent members of the film industry.

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Dileep's return to AMMA shows how little the film body cares about sexual violence