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MollywoodUtthara made her acting debut with the Tamil movie ‘Vavval Pasanga’. Tnm StaffUtthara Unni/ InstagramMollywood actor and noted Bharatanatyam dancer Utthara Unni recently announced her marriage with her fiancé Nithesh Nair, a businessman and a native of Kozhikode in Kerala. The wedding took place in Kerala on Monday. The couple got engaged back in December 2019, and the wedding was scheduled to take place in the subsequent months. However, the couple’s plans had to be postponed in view of the coronavirus pandemic and the nation-wide lockdown that was imposed for months. The traditional ceremony took place in Kerala on April 5. Uthira took to Instagram to share photos that were taken during the ‘Thaalikettu’, a ritual performed in Malayali weddings during which the groom ties a Thaali or sacred thread around the bride’s neck. Donning bridal jewellery and a white ‘Kasavu’ saree with gold borders, Utthara looks elegant in the wedding photos,...

MollywoodKamal further said that the silence of the superstars on the issue was obscene.Saritha S BalanAce director and chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Kamal, has opined that the woman actor in the sexual assault case that shook the Malayalam film industry, has not got justice from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (Amma). “She didn’t get justice from Amma, the organisation which she was part of, and hence she quit. Personally, I am with her, declaring solidarity with her. But beyond that, it’s a huge tragedy that she didn’t get justice and she wasn’t accepted in the way she ought to be by the Malayalam film industry,” he says. But, Kamal believes that the survivor will forever be remembered in history. “In future, a phase of Malayalam film industry will be remembered in her name. The fact that she, who bravely fought against someone...

MollywoodOn Aug 7, Amma is set to meet Joy Mathew and Shammi Thilakan, who spoke against the association, and three actors who sent a letter to discuss the Dileep situation.Tnm StaffA new circular released by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (Amma) asks its members to not talk to the media about issues at work. According to a report from Asianet News, the circular comes ahead of a discussion to take place on August 7. Amma gave a ‘gentle reminder’ to its members to approach the organisation first with sufficient proof if any member had issues with another. The circular said that going to the media or taking to social media will bring disrepute to the member, Amma and the Malayalam film industry too. When Women in Cinema Collective (Wcc) members took exception to Amma’s decision to reinstate Dileep, many had taken to social media and had spoken to the media about their protest.

Mollywood Four senior artistes wrote to minister Ak Balan expressing their worries over Kamal's words that said they were in Amma for alms.Tnm StaffMerely hours after senior actors of the Malayalam film industry expressed their worries over a statement made by filmmaker Kamal, he has apologised. Senior actors Madhu, Janardanan, Kaviyoor Ponnamma and Kpac Lalitha wrote to film minister Ak Balan, about their shock in reading Kamal’s statement regarding Amma. Kamal, also the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy, had reportedly said that a lot of senior artistes were staying in Amma as they were waiting for “favours” from the film body. Reacting to the letter, the filmmaker said that his words were misunderstood, and if they had hurt the senior actors in any way, he was sad about it. “I respect, admire and love them a lot. I express my regret if my words have caused them pain,” he told the media. In their letter to the minister, also posted on the Facebook page of Amma (Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes), the senior artistes say that they do not see the amount they get every month from Amma as a ‘kaineetam’ (alms), but a touch of love. “More than the amount of money, it is the love and concern behind it that gives us strength and shade. Only a narrow mind can see it as a favour. It shocks us that a person who sees one’s rights as favours is the head of the Chalachitra Academy,” they write. They add that it is up to the minister to take any action reagarding this. Kamal had a day before said that Amma is an anti-democratic association and people were stupid to expect democracy from it. He also appreciated the four women who resigned from the association in light of actor Dileep, a rape accused, being reinstated in the film body, when the survivor is also an actor. Kamal added that he was saying all this from his 35 years of experience in the film industry. Also read: Video: Actor Urmila Unni's insensitive comments on reinstating Dileep are a new low...

MisogynyIn the videos circulating on social media, Urmila can be seen joking to the media and even indulging in victim blaming. Tnm StaffFacebook/Urmila UnniThe past few days in the Malayalam film industry have seen several members participating in a macabre contest on who can be more insensitive than the other. For now, actor Urmila Unni who supposedly took the initiative to bring Dileep back into Amma in the general body meeting, appears to be winning the race. Hands down. In videos circulating on social media, Urmila Unni can be seen making light of the questions posed to her about women's safety in the Malayalam film industry. The issue has once again become hotly debated after the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (Amma) took rape accused Dileep back into the organisation. Dileep stands accused of being the mastermind behind the abduction and assault of a prominent woman actor in February 2017. Urmila Unni, however, would rather talk about "more pleasant" things. When the media asked her questions about the issue, the actor, who holds the dubious credit for bringing Dileep back, asked why they couldn't talk about someone's short film winning an award or a film becoming a hit. Yes, we're as confused as you are. She further said that there was no surety that Dileep was indeed guilty, even making a pun on the survivor's name to insinuate that the media was making it all up. She also said that Amma was an excellent organisation and that several people had benefited from it. Maintaining an irritatingly amused stance throughout, Urmila said that there was no discussion on whether Dileep should be taken back or not, giving a bizarre comparison to a homemaker managing the workers in her house. However, the worst thing she possibly said was in response to a question on how she could be so unconcerned when her daughter was in the industry too. Urmila said that "each individual was different", implying that what had happened to the survivor wouldn't happen with her daughter. A classic example of victim blaming if there ever was one. The videos have been shared by several social media users who've slammed the actor for her insensitive and completely unacceptable views. Here's a sample: Also read: Amma agrees to emergency executive committee meet, but doesn't set a date...