Suresh Gopi Requests Mohanlal To Bring Back Old Members Of AMMA Who Resigned After Mollywood #MeToo Storm

Hema Committee Report Controversy: Mohanlal, who served as President of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) resigned from his post, along with other members, after several members were accused of sexual misconduct allegations following the release of the Hema Committee report. Over four months after the controversy, the association organised a Kudumba Sangamam event to mark the beginning of the committee's comeback. The event was attended by Mollywood's stalwarts, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Union Minister and actor Gas Suresh Gopi and others.

During the event, Mohanlal opened up on the struggles faced by the committee and said “we will reach the light soon.” Suresh Gopi also addressed the audience and took a jibe at the haters who slammed the committee for not taking strict action against the accused members.

Mohanlal addresses the 'dark cloud' after the release of the Hema Committee report

During the event, Mohanlal, who serves as the current head of the association’s ad-hoc committee, said AMMA's recent struggles and expressed that there will be light soon. “We do much more than people realise and we have the potential to do things no other organisation can — not just for our members, but for the public as well," he added.

Suresh Gopi takes a swipe at the critics of AMMA

Suresh Gopi didn't address the controversy related to the committee directly and clarified why he distanced himself from AMMA. He said, "I also distanced myself from AMMA for personal reasons, but I never truly left. Not once did I speak against the organisation, even as emotional outbursts.”  He has requested Mohanlal to bring back the old office bearers. “I expect and request the executive committee, led by Mohanlal, whom we elected through voting, to return and take back their positions to lead the organisation. While younger members may join, it is essential for elders, who are strong enough to face the world, to lead this organisation. The younger generation should learn from their experience.” Suresh said.

He further insisted that the committee should be referred to as AMMA (meaning mother in Malayalam) and not A.M.M.A.

What do we know about AMMA's controversy?

AMMA's former members were heavily trolled for en masse resignations. Actress Parvathy Thiruvothu, a founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) strongly reacted to the decision of the AMMA committee which led to the dissolution of the body.  In an interview with Mojo Story, the Thangalaan actress shared that her first reaction to this move was "how cowardly of them to step away from a position where they are now accountable to speak to media". The actress further stated that this is the same committee that "welcomed the prime accused of the sexual assault case back" when the case was still going on and claimed that none of these things existed.

The body included Jagadish, Jayan Cherthala, Baburaj, Kalabhavan Shajon, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Joy Mathew, Suresh Krishna, Tini Tom, Ananya, Vinu Mohan, Tovino Thomas, Sarayu, Ansiba and Jomol.

Hema Committee Report has jolted Mollywood

After the Hema Committee report went public, several actresses from Malayalam and Bengali cinema came forward and filed cases against the prominent figures of Mollywood. They accused them of sexual assault and harassment. As per the latest update, a new case has been filed against veteran actor Siddique. A Malayalam actress alleged that she was raped by him in 2016.