AMMA election 2025: Filmmaker Joy Mathew disqualified as six in fray for top post

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) elections is gaining momentum as six actor have filed nominations for the post of president. The window for submitting names closed on Thursday.

Shwetha Menon, Jagadish, Anoop Chandran, Devan, Jayan Cherthala and Raveendran are vying for the top post. Director Joy Mathew also submitted his nomination but failed to be selected due to a “technical error”. The Hindu reported that Mathew’s submissions for president and general secretary were rejected due to a missing signature on the affidavit.

If Menon wins, she will make history as the first woman president of the organisation in its thirty year existence. Veteran actor Jagadish explained that he did not discuss with colleagues before filing his nomination. “I decided to contest in my own capacity,” the senior actor told PTI.

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A total of 74 nominations were filed for several posts including president, vice-president, general secretary, secretary, joint secretary, and treasurer.

As per reports, Jayan Cherthala, Raveendran Lakshmi Priya, Nasser Latheef, and Unni Shivapal are contesting to the post of vice president. Baburaj, Raveendran, Anoop Chandran and Jayan Cherthala are vying for the post of general secretary. Ansiba, Jayan Cherthala, and Anoop Chandran are contesting for the post of joint secretary, and Vinu Mohan, Tini Tom, Jayan Cherthala, Anoop Chandran, Kukku Parameswaran, Raveendran, and Sai Krishna are eyeing the post of treasurer.

The last date for withdrawal of nominations is July 30, after which the clear picture of the contestants will emerge.

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The premature AMMA elections come after the contents of the Hema Committee report—which highlighted issues related to sexual violence against women and male dominance in the industry—shook the organisation. The situation snowballed and eventually prompted veteran actor Mohanlal to step down from the post of president, a position he had held since 2018.

The AMMA elections are set to be held on August 15. 

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