Malayalam actress Sandra Thomas ousted from Producers Association

Kochi, Nov 5 : The turmoil in the Malayalam film industry ever since the Hema Committee report became public in August took a new twist on Tuesday as the Producers' Association ousted actress-cum-producer Sandra Thomas, who had been complaining about its functioning, from the body.

An active personality in the Malayalam film industry, Thomas and the Association had been at loggerheads since the Hema Committee report was published and she had filed a complaint against the Association, alleging that it was acting as a feeder organisation of the powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA).

The Association dismissed her complaint as a fake one and they decided to take action against her. Already with the relations strained between her and her Association, she, along with another woman producer, made a written demand that there should be a change of the office bearers of the Association and this was treated as an act of indiscipline by the male-dominated grouping. She was also upset with the Association over its silence after the Hema Committee report was published and the police launched action, based on the various complaints that came from various actresses.

She was further upset when the association called a meeting to discuss the issues raised by her and it ended up as an eyewash and she felt she was humiliated.

Another reason why she was seen as a troublemaker was when she expressed her view that in the Malayalam film industry, there exists a power group which decides everything.

Known for her roles in popular films like "Amen" and *Zachariayude Garbhinikal", Thomas was also the producer of "Zachariayude Garbhinikal" and "Philips and the Monkey Pen".

In the past, she was in the limelight when her business partner Vijay Babu, who co-founded film production company Friday Film House, split with her. She then started her own production company named Sandra Thomas Productions.