Actors Revathy And Padmapriya quit AMMA, cite years of silence over safety and equality demands

Actors Revathy Asha Kelunni and Padmapriya Janakiraman have stepped down from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists. Both actors made the announcement on Monday through a joint statement on Instagram. They made it clear that this was not a sudden decision and was not tied to any single incident.

In their statement, the two actors said they were walking away from the organisation after years of asking for safer workplaces, dignity, accountability and equal treatment. They said the body had drifted far from what it was originally meant to stand for.

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A post shared by Revathy Asha Kelunni (@revathyasha)

“This is not one more chapter,” say the actors

Revathy and Padmapriya opened their statement by addressing how their resignation might be perceived. They wrote that people may see this as just another chapter in the ongoing AMMA saga. They insisted that was not the case. Their words were direct. The resignation was not sudden, and it was not about one single incident.

They explained that for almost ten years, their demands within the organisation had remained unchanged. They wanted safer workplaces. Also, they wanted dignity. And, they wanted accountability. They wanted equal treatment for everyone. According to them, these were not big asks. These were the bare minimum that every member deserved.

The actors said they had genuinely believed these values were something the entire organisation could get behind. That belief, they said, is what kept them going for so long.

The price of speaking up

Both actors spoke about what it cost them to keep raising these issues over the years. They described facing silence and distance from colleagues, friends and places that once felt like home to them. It was not an easy road, but they said they stayed because hope had managed to survive despite repeated disappointment.

They also brought up what happened after the Hema Committee report came out. According to Revathy and Padmapriya, the wave of resignations that followed the report were not driven by principle. They called it an escape from accountability instead. Once public attention moved on to other things, they said, the same old patterns quietly returned.

They pointed out that while the faces at the top may have changed and the methods may have looked different, the actual structures that allowed inequality to continue remained exactly the same.

Both actors said they intend to keep working as film professionals. Their focus going forward will be on better storytelling, standing by fellow colleagues and pushing for a more equitable industry overall. They also thanked the public and the media for supporting them throughout this period.

Why this is happening now

This resignation lands at a time when AMMA is already dealing with serious internal turmoil. The organisation’s executive committee, which had 17 members and was headed by actor Shwetha Menon, resigned as a group. This came after a no-confidence motion and intense discussions during the annual general body meeting held in Kochi.

Shwetha Menon later spoke out against the previous committee, alleging financial irregularities in how the organisation had been run earlier. She said her own committee had discovered discrepancies in the accounts, and these discrepancies predated her time in charge. She also said she was not willing to continue functioning as what she called a play doll or a puppet within the organisation.

Following this mass resignation, AMMA’s general body took action by appointing an ad-hoc committee. This committee is being led by actor and Palakkad MLA Ramesh Pisharody. It will run the organisation’s affairs until fresh elections can be held.