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Dileep welcomed back as Mohanlal takes charge of AMMA: WCC hits out, Rima Kallingal says women should forfeit!

PUBLISHED DATE : 26/Jun/2018

Dileep welcomed back as Mohanlal takes charge of AMMA: WCC hits out, Rima Kallingal says women should forfeit!

 

In a head-line grabbing turn of events, Malayalam actor Mohanlal took charge as the president of Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) and reinstated actor Dileep to the organization, who was ousted last year from AMMA after he was named accused no. 8 in a case involving the abduction and sexual assault of a Malayalam actress. Reacting to the same, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), a platform for women working in the Malayalam Film industry, hit out in a social media post where it questioned the sensitivity of AMMA towards the victim and wrote:

“Why did AMMA expel actor Dileep? What is the new situation that has warranted this action? Don't you find anything wrong in taking back a person accused of a serious crime as rape without trial? Isn’t the actress also part of this organisation? By this decision aren't you insulting the survivor? Being a democratic organisation, what is the message that you are giving the people of Kerala? By taking such a decision about a person who is facing trial you are challenging the legal system of the country.."

This post evoked a reaction from general secretary of AMMA, Edavela Babu who took a dig at WCC's absence in direct meetings and made his support for Dileep pretty clear. He said, "No one can be ousted like that without following due process..It was a unanimous decision to reinstate him (Dileep)...The members of WCC could have come to the AMMA general body meeting and raised their issues. Parvathy and Manju Warrier couldn't attend as they are out of station. We don't even know who the other members are.. ” 

Now, actress Rima Kallingal who is also a member of the WCC has revealed that the beef between AMMA and WCC has been going on for a long time, which is preventing direct talks. She has said that in the past, members of AMMA had berated WCC using a skit and have never been sensitive to either the victim or the suggestions on that matter by the WCC. She was quoted in the media as saying,

"Using the biggest platform they could (AMMA Mazhavillu show), members, including the senior-most ones (Mammootty, Mohanlal) staged a skit insulting the collective (WCC). So after this, don't expect us to approach them with the hopes of getting a mature reaction from them..why WCC as an organisation was even formed.."

She has also said that AMMA should hereby convince women, especially those from the WCC as to why they should further be a part of their organization, which also has an accused member like Dileep. 

"..Considering a crime accused who has spent 3 months in jail, who is an accused in the case and who has been denied bail two times, is being welcomed back into the organisation and considering that the survivor, too, is a part of the organisation...they (AMMA) should convince all its members, including me and a Padmapriya and a Parvathi and a Revathi (members of WCC) and the survivor herself, why we still must be a part of AMMA. We feel we don't have to remain in AMMA if they do not convince us."

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