Malayalam actors’ association appoints new office-bearers amid internal turmoil

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes has appointed new office-bearers as it seeks to reorganise after months of internal turmoil. Actors Asha Aravind and Sijoy Varghese were elected vice-presidents at an executive committee meeting in Kochi on Wednesday. The posts had been vacant after the resignations of actors Lakshmipriya and Jayan Cherthala.

Actor Neena Kurup was named treasurer, replacing Unni Shivpal. The association had asked Shivpal to go on leave following an alleged workplace harassment complaint by an employee, according to the report. Sarayu Mohan was elected joint secretary in place of Ansiba Hassan, who stepped down from the post in February 2026.

Hassan had accused actor Tini Tom and some members of character assassination and alleged communal remarks. The executive committee accepted Jayan Cherthala’s resignation as vice-president. It has not accepted resignations submitted by actors Joy Mathew and Kailash, who have reportedly been asked to reconsider.

The changes follow a dispute that intensified after Shweta Menon, the organisation’s first woman president, announced her resignation after a section of members moved a no-confidence motion at a June general body meeting. The leadership had been accused of failing to manage the association’s daily affairs and internal disputes. Menon later withdrew her resignation and challenged the decision to create an ad hoc panel led by actor and MLA Ramesh Pisharody.

The Ernakulam Munsif Court stayed the ad hoc committee’s functioning following her petition, and Pisharody subsequently resigned as its convenor. The latest appointments fill several vacant or contested positions, but the supplied material does not indicate whether all disputes within the association have been resolved.