Ansiba Hassan has spoken at length to Manorama Online about why she resigned from AMMA — the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists — and the name she keeps returning to is Tini Tom. The actor, who was elected Joint Secretary of the organisation unopposed, says what followed that election was a sustained campaign of personal attacks, fabricated rumours, and communal slurs that ultimately made her position untenable.
The most serious allegation is direct. Ansiba says Tini Tom called her a “jihadi” within the organisation’s circles and spread claims that she was attempting to convert people — including his own driver and the son of a production controller — to Islam. “Just because my name is Ansiba Hassan,” she told Manorama Online. She says Neena Kurup was the person who informed her that Tini Tom had been making these claims.
The Rumours, the WhatsApp Chats, and the Sponsorship Dispute
Ansiba describes a pattern that began from the moment she joined the committee. Rumours of an affair with the former Joint Secretary were circulated, she says, reaching her only through third parties. “The easiest way to destroy a woman is to spread stories about affairs. That way you can break her quickly,” she said.
She also detailed a specific dispute over a temple’s title sponsorship for AMMA’s family gathering. Ansiba objected on principle — her position was that no religious organisation, whether a temple, mosque, or church, should get title sponsorship, only donations. That objection, she says, was twisted into evidence of religious extremism. “I said no to a temple sponsorship and they made me a religious fundamentalist.”
The WhatsApp group conduct she describes is equally serious — Tini Tom allegedly using the chat to demean a female secretary in a way Ansiba confronted directly, asking him if he had no shame. She also alleges he raised his hand at Neena Kurup during an altercation the day before AMMA’s family gathering, and used abusive language toward her and her parents.
Ansiba says she sent voice messages to senior AMMA members explaining her reasons for resigning before going public. “I resigned on the grounds of my own conscience,” she said.
Tini Tom has previously spoken to media about internal AMMA disputes, denying wrongdoing. His response to Ansiba’s specific allegations was not available at press time.
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