KOZHIKODE l wednesday l august 28, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION File Photo Modi speaks to Putin, shares insights from his Ukraine visit The telephone conversation comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to US President Joe Biden about his visit to Ukraine Seeks end to Russia-Ukraine conflict Moots practical engagement for peace In a post on X, Modi said: “Spoke with President Putin today... Exchanged perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and my insights from the recent visit to Ukraine. Reiterated India’s firm commitment to support an early, abiding and peaceful resolution of the conflict.” The Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders reviewed progress on a number of bilateral issues ■ ■ Modi also underlined “the importance of dialogue and diplomacy as well as sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to achieve an abiding and peaceful resolution of the conflict" Modi’s August 23 trip to Kyiv was the first by an Indian PM since Ukraine’s independence in 1991. He offered India’s help to facilitate return of peace 1,200 sq km Russian area taken over by Ukraine after its incursion into Kursk region CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Action starts, AMMA packs up Mohanlal resigns as prez, executive panel dissolved Move follows sexual abuse charges against some office-bearers E xpress N ews S ervice @Kochi Amid the controversies raging in the Malayalam film industry following the release of the Hema Committee report that led to a series of sexual harassment allegations, the Association of Malayalam Movie Arti s t s ( A M M A ) e x e c u t iv e committee has stepped down. In a surprise move, association president Mohanlal and other executive committee members tendered their resignations during an online meeting on Tuesday . Faced with mounting pressure following sexual misconduct allegations against some of its members, AMMA opted to disband its top panel, sidestepping the potential scrutiny and embarrassment. Mohanlal, who reportedly grew emotional in Tuesday’s meeting, unexpectedly proposed that the entire executive committee step down, which prompted a mass resignation. “In light of the sexual accusations against some officebearers, the current committee resigns assuming moral responsibility. A new executive committee will be elected within two months, following a general body meeting,” AMMA said in a statement. “Thanks for criticising and correcting,” it added. AMMA also expressed hope that a new leadership will take charge that can strengthen the association and restore its integrity The 16-member ex. ecutive committee, elected just two months ago, faced intense scrutiny and criticism over its handling of sexual harassment allegations against some of its office-bearers and members. Siddique resigned as associa- Complaints filed A young female actor, who had accused actor Siddique of sexual harassment, on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the state police chief. AMMA executive committee | file picture ‘New panel in 2 months’ According to a statement issued by AMMA, a new executive committee will be elected within two months, following a general body meeting AMMA also expressed hope that a new leadership will take charge that can strengthen the association and restore its integrity. tion general secretary on Sunday after actor Revathy Sampath accused him of sexual harassment. Joint secretary Baburaj also faced sexual assault allegations from a junior artist. Actor Joy Mathew, who was part of the deliberations in the meeting of the executive committee, explained that the decision to dissolve the AMMA executive committee was made through a democratic process. “Initially it was only a sugges, tion. There were different opinions. Some said ‘yes’ while others maintained that it was not required. Ultimately, we came to a collective decision to disband the committee and appoint an ad hoc committee,” he told TNIE. Jayan Cherthala, former vice-president, emphasised The decision to dissolve the AMMA executive committee was made through a democratic process... We came to a collective decision to dissolve the panel and appoint an ad hoc committee - Joy Mathew that none was forced to resign, and a fresh election will be held within two months as per the association’s bylaws. “We discussed and felt it good to resign in this scenario,” he told this newspaper. Meanwhile, a female actor, who accused several actors, including Jayasurya and actorMLA Mukesh, and two technicians, of sexual harassment, on Tuesday lodged a formal complaint with the special investigation team (SIT) formed by the state government to probe the allegations. According to her, the probe team contacted her after she came out openly sharing the bitter experiences she encountered from male colleagues between 2008 and 2013. Rejecting allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Large-scale violence at Secretariat rally called by students in Kolkata S u l a g n a S en g u p ta @ Kolkata Parts of the city on Tuesday resembled a warzone as a Nabanna (State Secretariat) Abhiyan rally called by students against the rape-murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, turned violent. Protesters fought pitched battles with the Kolkata Police as they unsuccessfully attempted to break the barricades and enter the Nabanna around 1.30 pm to demand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation. Similar clashes and largescale violence were reported in different parts of Kolkata and Howrah as well. The police used teargas and water cannons to push back the protesters. It also sought to block the roads leading to Nabanna by parking many trucks besides the usual barricades. The protesters retaliated A female actor, who accused several actors, including Jayasurya and actor-MLA Mukesh, and two technicians, of sexual harassment, filed a complaint with the SIT formed by the government. Actor and MLA M Mukesh, against whom allegations were raised, has called for an impartial investigation into the same. him, Mukesh called for an impartial investigation into the same. He also alleged that the female actor Muneer who complained against him had attempted to blackmail him in 2009 when he refused her request for financial assistance. Mukesh said he would pursue legal action against her. “I welcome inquiries into the allegations levelled against film personalities, including myself. An objective and transparent investigation is essential in this matter,” he wrote on Facebook. Joining the women who had spoken about the harassment in the film industry Sandhya, a , junior artist, alleged that she lost opportunities in the industry for refusing to compromise and accommodate unwanted advances. WCC’s ‘call for action’ to make film field safe E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @KOCHI Shortly after the 16-member executive committee of AMMA was dissolved, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) on Tuesday came up with a ‘call for action’ to make the Malayalam film industry a safe place for all stakeholders. ‘This is our call for action,” stated a social media post by the collective. ‘Rethink, reshape, rebuild. We have a shared duty to forge a future of justice and dignity for everyone. Let us create this new revolution,” WCC wrote on Facebook urging everyone in the industry to work together. The post was shared by members of WCC and the public. Reacting to the recent developments, WCC member Divya Gopinath told TNIE that the ultimate aim of the Hema Committee and the collective was to bring a change in the industry . “We want to make the Malayalam film industry a safe place for everyone, and we need to work together towards it,” she said. Since the actress assault case and the formation of WCC in 2017, the collective had demanded the government to constitute a committee to study the problems in the Malayalam film industry After the Hema Committee submit. ted its report to the government, WCC was in the forefront demanding its release. The release of the 233-page report after four-and-a-half years and the subsequent developments in the industry, including the allegations raised against some senior actors and top officials of AMMA, led to the dissolution of its executive committee on Tuesday . Supreme Court ticks off HC judge, grants bail to Kavitha S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi RAF personnel lathi-charge a protest march by students, during the Nabanna Abhijan rally in Howrah on Tuesday | PTI with brickbats. Some of the agitators also dragged away barricades, prompting the police to respond with caning. The situation came under control around 5 pm. Over 200 people were arrested in connection with the rally Fifteen per. sonnel of the Kolkata Police and 14 from the state police force were injured, police said. In protest against what it called was police torture, the BJP called a 12-hour general strike across West Bengal on Wednesday . However, Alapan Bandyopadhyay chief advisor to the CM , , said: “All state government offices will remain open tomorrow. Salaries of absentees will be deducted. The state government will provide transportation.” In a major relief to Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted her bail. It described as perverse the observations made by the Delhi High Court that the first proviso to Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act won’t apply to her since she was well-educated and a politically accomplished woman. A two-judge bench comprising justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan also questioned the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate over the fairness of their probe and asking if they were free to pick and choose an accused. The court said Kavitha’s custody was no longer required as both the CBI and the ED had completed their probe against her. 3-decade career Mohan, a pioneer of new wave Malayalam films E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @Kochi “I have in mind a project that would be relevant to the times we live in. I’ll do the film soon,” filmmaker M Mohan had said during an interview in November 2022, sharing his plan for a one final project. That, however, was not to be. Mohan, who passed away in Kochi at the age of 76, is considered one of the pioneers of the new wave in Malayalam films. He has to his name several critically acclaimed films, including Shalini Ente Koottukari and Randu Penkuttikal’ (1978),Idavela (1982), Isabella (1988) and Mukham (1990), Pakshe (1994), and his last movie Campus (2005). Mohan began his career by assisting legends like M Krishnan Nair and Hariharan before making his debut film Vadaka Veedu in 1978. Portraying the inner conflicts of individuals and the values of families in a poetic manner, Mohan’s films were known for their artistic excellence and popularity . In a career spanning three decades, Mohan made 23 films. He teamed up with screenwriters John Paul and Padmarajan, spawning several critically and commercially successful films. Vida Parayum Munpe, starring Nedumudi Venu and scripted by John Paul, was a mega hit. His association with Padmarajan resulted in films like Idavela, Kochu Kochu Thettukal and Shalini Ente Koottukari. Edavela Babu, the for mer AMMA general secretary, got his screen name after his brilliant debut perfor mance in Mohan’s Idavela. A majority of Mohan’s works happened in the 1980s, which is considered the golden era of Malayalam cinema, when masters like K G George, I V Sasi, Bharathan and Padmarajan ruled the roost. He was as good and as successful but less celebrated, and never got his due. And his dream of making one last film was left ● More on P2 unfulfilled. BCCI secy Shah gets top ICC job unopposed g o m es h s @ Chennai For a cricket body that holds has a strong hold in international cricket with its financial clout, this only seems a natural progression. What was being whispered in the power corridors of cricket, has become a reality when Jay Shah was nominated as the next International Cricket Council’s Independent Chair. He will take charge on December 1, 2024. At 35, Jay becomes the youngest chairperson of the ICC. Though Jay’s ascendancy as global body head was doing the rounds in the cricketing circles, things became clear when the current chair Greg Barclay, who took charge as the Chair in November 2020, announced last week that he will not be seeking a third term. With the deadline for nomination closing on Tuesday, the BCCI secretary was the only person to be nominated by ICC directors and hence would be elected unopposed. “I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council,” Shah said in a statement. “While we will build on the valuable lessons learned, we must also embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love for cricket worldwide. The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways.”
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