AMMA all set for a generation change

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KOCHI

With the arrest of superstar Dileep in the actress abduction case, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) — which came under fire from several quarters — is all set to undergo a makeover.

The younger generation, in all likelihood, is going to take over the reins, which since being set up in the mid-1990s was controlled by leading lights of Malayalam filmdom Mammootty, Mohanlal and Dileep.

“An executive meeting of AMMA will be held on Friday and it will take stock of the turn of events and the loss of face it suffered with the arrest of Dileep, its treasurer. The mood is that there should be a change of guard,” a member, who did not wish to be identified, told IANS.

It was only on Tuesday that AMMA opened up after a hurriedly called executive meeting chaired by Vice President Mammootty in the absence of its President and Lok Sabha member Innocent, who was indisposed, and decided to oust Dileep from the membership following his arrest.

Incidentally, at last month’s Annual General Meeting, AMMA lost a lot of face when its executive members and Left-backed legislators Mukesh and K.B. Ganesh Kumar were seen engaged in a heated argument with media persons when probing questions were asked.

Innocent, who has been at the helm of affairs for well over a decade, also came for severe attack from several quarters on his tongue-in-cheek remark on the prevalence of the casting couch in the Malayalam film industry and also the way he handled questions during the press conference.

Upcoming superstar Prithviraj, who is also son of late actor Sukumaran, appeared to be one person who is determined to end the hegemony of the two legends Mammootty and Mohanlal, both of whom were his father’s contemporaries.

Sukumaran, who passed away in 1997, had to face the wrath of the dominant sections in AMMA soon after it was formed in the early 1990s.

Among the others who are likely to be the new face of AMMA would be Asif Ali, Jayasurya and Kunjuchacko Boban. It is also expected that the representation of women members in the executive is likely to go up.

The Friday executive meeting is also expected to call a special general body meeting when the present executive committee is likely to step down to facilitate the election of a new body.

Barring the CPI-M, all the frontline political parties had come down heavily on AMMA and called for its disbanding as it failed to rise to the occasion especially when the actress abduction took place and what came as a shock to many was the stoic silence maintained by Mammootty and Mohanlal.