Maalai Nera Mallipoo

Maalai Nera Mallipoo is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Sanjay Narayanan and starring Vinithra Menon and Ashwin in the lead roles. It was released on 9 June 2023 through the streaming service aha Tamil.

Production
The film marked the directorial debut of Sanjay Narayanan, an erstwhile assistant director to Selvaraghavan. Narayanan worked on the film aged 21 and had conceptualised during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maalai Nera Mallipoo tells the tale of how the lockdown affected the livelihoods of sex workers, who were left in the lurch by a system that doesn't treat them with respect and dignity.

Reception
The film was released on 9 June 2023 across Tamil Nadu. Reviewing the film, a critic from Times of India wrote the film "has powerful content that deserves to be told, but the making isn't impressive enough to hold us throughout." A reviewer from The Hindu wrote "filmmaker Sanjay Narayanan and actor Vinithra Menon do not attempt to merely document the life of a sex worker; they peer into the labyrinth of the lead character’s conscience".