Shwetha Menon | Madam president

Actor Shwetha Menon has broken the glass ceiling within the Affiliation of Malayalam Film Artistes (AMMA) after being elected as its first lady president.

Since its inception in 1994, the actors’ physique within the Malayalam movie trade by no means had a lady as its president or basic secretary. The 51-year-old defeated senior actor Devan to clinch the lead submit in a eager electoral race held on August 15. She has a trusted lieutenant in actor Kukku Parameswaran, who was elected as the primary lady basic secretary of the affiliation.

The election to the 17-member govt committee was necessitated after the earlier committee led by its president and actor Mohanlal stepped down on August 27, 2024, following the release of the Hema Committee report on the issues confronted by girls within the Malayalam movie trade. The committee was disbanded as allegations of sexual abuse and misbehaviour have been raised in opposition to its members, together with the office-bearers.

Born in Chandigarh because the daughter of an Indian Air Pressure official, Shwetha entered the tinsel city in 1991 after she was paired reverse actor Mammootty within the film Anaswaram. She shot into nationwide fame after she gained the Femina Miss India Asia Pacific title in 1994 and have become the Gladrags feminine supermodel in the identical 12 months.

She sizzled in advert movies and walked the ramp with elan earlier than attempting her luck in Bollywood in 1997 via the film Ishq. A few of her Hindi films included Asoka, Maqbool and Company. Her efficiency as Cheeru in director Ranjith’s Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha gained her the Kerala State Movie Award for the Greatest Actress in 2009. She repeated her stellar efficiency in 2011 and gained one of the best actress within the Kerala Movie Award for her portrayal of Maya, a dubbing artiste and foodie, in Aashiq Abu’s Salt N’ Pepper. She has labored in over 100 films in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, in addition to internet hosting varied TV reveals.

She has had her share of controversies in her over three-decade-old profession. In November 2013, she lodged a police criticism alleging that then Congress MP N. Peethambara Kurup had bodily misbehaved together with her. She later withdrew it after he tendered an apology. She obtained brickbats from a piece of viewers after she allowed her supply to be recorded on digicam and use the footage in filmmaker Blessy’s Kalimannu during which she performed the lead position. The Kerala Excessive Courtroom, which heard the matter, refused to intervene saying the actor had consented to the capturing of her supply and there was no violation of her basic proper.

Unlawful bans

She by no means ruffled feathers with the protracted male-dominated management within the affiliation. Nonetheless, she didn’t stay mute after the Hema panel report was revealed whereas asserting that she had additionally confronted unlawful bans. She resigned from the Inside Complaints Committee of the affiliation, together with actors Maala Parvathi and Kukku Parameswaran in 2022 following the reluctance of then management to take motion in opposition to actor-producer Vijay Babu in a case registered by the Kochi metropolis police on expenses of alleged rape of a younger lady actor and revealing the identification of the survivor.

Only a week earlier than the election, a First Data Report (FIR) was registered in opposition to her by the Kochi metropolis police below Part 67 A of the Data Know-how Act, 2000, on a criticism lodged by a local of Ernakulam “for making monetary features via her roles in films having alleged vulgar and obscene content material”. Speculations have been rife that the criticism was allegedly aided by her detractors from inside the affiliation. The actor heaved a sigh of reduction after the Kerala Excessive Courtroom stayed the proceedings in reference to the FIR.

Regardless of the scenes of jubilation over the election of girls in lead roles within the affiliation, the best way ahead will not be a cakewalk for her in view of the interior rift and mud-slinging witnessed forward of the election. The fissures inside the organisation appear deep and would require her to drag out all of the stops to remain afloat.