In what is being regarded as a historic move, actresses Geethu Mohandas, Rima Kallingal, and Ramya Nambeesan have quit the association following Dileep’s inclusion. Taking a stand on this, the actresses are hoping that others follow suit and witness how the association’s move is insulting to the survivor of the abduction.
Speaking to JFW, actress Ramya, who has been a member of the association for years, she was completely shocked by the decision.
“I have been an executive member and this move has terrified and shocked us! It’s completely unfair to the survivor and we wanted to show how this whole thing points to an unhealthy space. There has to be justice for the survivor,” she said, voicing her concerns.
She further added that she expected better from AMMA.
“There has been no voice from their part ever since we took this decision to quit AMMA. What they need to do is to try and change themselves internally and look into. As members, we quit because we aren’t able to fight the system so have decided to fight from outside. It’s our personal decision but we have support from the Women in Cinema Collective and people are listening to our voice now.”
On Sunday, actor Mohanlal took charge as the president of AMMA with actor-politician Mukesh elected as the vice-president of the association, and Idavela Babu replaced Mammootty as general secretary. Actors Siddique and Jagadish have been elected as joint secretary and treasurer respectively.
One of the first decisions the new leadership took on Sunday was to revoke the suspension of actor Dileep. This has led the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) seething and fuming, with them posing questions with respect to the abduction and sexual assault case of the Malayalam actress. They released a statement on the issue today:
