The internal friction in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) deepened on Friday (July 3, 2026) as Joy Mathew, Jayan Cherthala, and Kailash submitted their official resignations from the executive committee against the stand taken by its president Shwetha Menon that the committee would continue until the next election.

Ms. Menon, who had announced her resignation from the post of president following a stormy general body meeting held on June 21, 2026 had said in a social media post on Thursday night that she would not step down until she proved her innocence.

She challenged the formation of an ad-hoc committee at the general body meeting, claiming that it violated the by-laws of the association. A meeting of the ad-hoc committee led by Ramesh Pisharody, MLA, on Thursday (July 2, 2026) had blamed her for the current deadlock. He had pointed out that the ad-hoc committee is yet to officially receive the resignation of the previous panel led by Ms. Menon.

The 17-member panel led by her decided to step down after a section of the association moved a no-confidence motion against the leadership at the general body meeting. The executive committee was accused of failing to run the day-to-day affairs of the organisation and resolve the disputes within the outfit. After exiting the general body meeting, she had told media persons that she will also resign from the primary membership as a mark of protest.

She alleged that nearly 10 to 15 members had attended the general body meeting “with an agenda” to oust her panel. “They had distributed a pre-printed resolution, having allegations against our committee. Though it was handed over to me at the meeting, it was not approved. Of the 243 members who attended the meeting, the resolution failed to secure the two-thirds majority. Hence that resolution lacked any legal backing,” she alleged.

A panel member, who submitted his resignation on Thursday, stated that the decision taken by the general body meeting “remains the final word” for the association and he is not interested in creating a deadlock.