Shwetha Menon | Madam president

Actor Shwetha Menon has broken the glass ceiling in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) after being elected as its first woman president.

Since its inception in 1994, the actors’ body in the Malayalam film industry never had a woman as its president or general secretary. The 51-year-old defeated senior actor Devan to clinch the lead post in a keen electoral race held on August 15. She has a trusted lieutenant in actor Kukku Parameswaran, who was elected as the first woman general secretary of the association.

The election to the 17-member executive committee was necessitated after the previous committee led by its president and actor Mohanlal stepped down on August 27, 2024, following the release of the Hema Committee report on the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee was disbanded as allegations of sexual abuse and misbehaviour were raised against its members, including the office-bearers.