A.M.M.A elections: Shwetha Menon, Kukku elected in Malayalam cinema's generational change

Dubai: Malayalam cinema has broken a major glass ceiling with Shwetha Menon voted to be the first woman president of the actor's grouping A.M.M.A.

Kukku Parameshwaran comes in as General Secretary, while Lakshmi Priya is to take over as VP of the actors' grouping.

Shwetha and Kukku were seen as having the backing of Malayalam cinema's actor-superstars, Mammootty and Mohanlal. And the message of having women take over in A.M.M.A. was too compelling for their challengers to overcome.

Shwetha was the frontrunner in the race to be the next president after Mohanlal resigned as the previous head of the group. But it was not easy run for Shwetha, who as recently as last week was caught up in a police case after charges were filed against her for acting in explicit movies and TV ads.

Shwetha, who has been associated with movies such as Paleri Manikyam, Kalimannu and the more recent re-imagining of the classic Rathinirvedam, beat off the challenge from veteran actor Devan.

Her most formidable challenge would have come if another industry veteran Jagdeesh had stayed in the fray for the elections. But he would later pull out in favour of a woman taking over as A.M.M.A.'s next president.

The new A.M.M.A. committee will take over at a time when there are sharp divisions within the industry. One such issue is ensuring that women actors are provided with the necessary protection on film sets on the lines of how other industries and workplaces operate.