AMMA Elections 2025: Shwetha Menon leads the race: Final candidates for the historic election to be announced on July 31

Actress Shweta Menon is emerging as a leading candidate in the upcoming AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) presidential election. The final list of candidates will be released on July 31.

Nominations must be withdrawn by 3 pm, after which the confirmed list is expected to be released by 4 pm.

August 15 polls see record female participation

AMMA elections to be held on August 15 this year are considered a major turning point for the Malayalam film industry. As per Cinema Express, this is a record number of women contesting for top positions in the AMMA organization. This is seen as a sign of change, given that the organization's structure and gender equality demands have been controversial for the past few years.

Shwetha Menon may become AMMA’s first woman president

Devan and Anup Chandran are also contesting for the post of president along with Shwetha Menon. It is reported that initially, Manutakiya Jagadish, Jayan Serthala, and Ravindran withdrew from the race. This is said to be a historic election as it is the first time that a woman has led AMMA since it was founded in 1994. So, chances are high for Shwetha Menon to be elected as the president of AMMA.

Election follows the 2017 case, the Hema report, and exits

The election is taking place against the backdrop of the 2017 sexual assault case against a Malayalam actress and the subsequent report submitted by the Hema Committee. The report was heavily criticized for gender discrimination and mishandling of industrial complaints. The ensuing backlash led to the resignation of the AMMA executive committee headed by Mohanlal in 2024. Before that, the credibility of the organization was also greatly damaged due to sexual allegations against leading members Siddique and Baburaj.