Mammootty-Ganesh Kumar cold war intensifies over AMMA control?
By: Express Web Desk | Bengaluru | Published: January 29, 2018 6:27 pm ..
By: Express Web Desk | Bengaluru | Published: January 29, 2018 6:27 pm Mammootty and Ganesh Kumar reportedly are not on good terms with each other.
It looks like all is not well within the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), the most powerful organisation of the Malayalam film industry. The buzz is that the cold war between superstar Mammootty and actor-turned-politician KB Ganesh Kumar has intensified.
With the tenure of the current president of AMMA, Innocent, coming to end soon, Ganesh has decided to contest for the top post in the all-powerful film body. However, Mammootty, who is the sitting general secretary of AMMA, is not happy letting him take the reins; at least not without a fight.
Mammootty has been pushing against Ganesh’s efforts even as he is not vying for the post, said reports. The talk is that he wants to play the kingmaker in electing the next president of AMMA. Even Innocent, who has been heading the film body for more than a decade now, is not willing to seek another term as the president due to the recent developments, which has created a rift in the film fraternity. It seems to be the result of the fallout of cancelling actor Dileep’s membership in AMMA.
A few hours after Dileep was arrested on July 10 last year in the Malayalam actress abduction and sexual assault case, Mammootty called an emergency meeting at his home in Kochi and expelled Dileep from the primary membership of AMMA. Ganesh has openly expressed his displeasure with Mammootty for taking action against Dileep.
Ganesh, Pathanapuram MLA and Vice President of AMMA, even alleged that Mammootty’s action against Dileep was meant to make Prithviraj Sukumaran and even termed it “illegal”.
Mammootty and Ganesh seem to have not been on good terms for nearly two decades now. A source in the know especially claims that the differences between them have been there since Ganesh became a minister in the AK Antony cabinet in 2001.
“It is the fat big egos that reign supreme in our industry, and with Mammootty — the numero uno of our industry and a CPI (M) favourite — the tiff intensified after Ganesh Kumar felt that it was the superstar who stands between him and a Cabinet post (if and when Ganesh Kumar joins the ruling CPI (M),” said the unidentified senior actor to IANS.
Ganesh is said to enjoy the good-will of most of the old members of the Malayalam actors’ guild. However, the new generation actors reportedly are unwilling to favour him. The annual general meeting of AMMA will be held in July when the new president will also be selected.
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