When young talent blossomed

Filmmaker Orson Welles famously said, "The cinema has no boundary; it is a ribbon of dream." Welles was all of 25 when he wrote, directed, and produced his seminal work, Citizen Kane. Since then, we have seen many prodigious talents find their way into the dream factory with passion in their hearts, and a story or two in their minds. One such young filmmaker to make a mark in Tamil cinema is Sanjay Narayanan, whose debut film, Maalai Nera Mallipoo, recently premiered in Aha Tamil, and received rave reviews. "While I do watch a lot of mainstream films, I wanted to stand out from it. I wrote and directed Maalai Nera Mallipoo, which I believe is a very honest film. That is what I want my movies to be known for,” says Sanjay. Oh, and he is just 21.

“Not just Sanjay, but the entire crew was around that age. I was the oldest on set,” says Vinithra Menon, who plays Lakshmi, the protagonist of Maalai Nera Mallipoo. A writer, actor, an erstwhile assistant of director Selvaraghavan, a part of the content team on a premier streaming platform, and a theatre actor who does improv on a regular basis, Vinithra’s multiple hats came in handy while essaying the role of a sex worker in the film. “I could draw inspiration from my various roles. As a writer, I could think of a backstory for my character. With my minimal directing abilities, I could process why a shot was staged in a particular way. As an actor, it is all very internal. At the risk of sounding lofty, I think after years of honing my skills, and waiting for the right opportunity, it was just like clicking a switch to become Lakshmi,” shares Vinithra, crediting Sanjay for being accommodative to her questions and suggestions.

The conversation slowly becomes a vista for the actor and filmmaker to shower praises on each other. While Sanjay calls Vinithra a “great performer, who gave him a thousand options for a scene, and he just had to pick what he wanted,” she calls him a “sensitive filmmaker, who was willing to jump into uncertainty.” Delving deeper into why she feels his conviction shone through, Vinithra says, “While he wasn’t sure if the film would release, he assured me that the film would be made. That impressed me the most.”

The film was conceptualised during the pandemic, and it took a couple of years for it to finally see the light of day. “I underwent emotional and mental trauma while waiting. I understand that it is normal in the industry, but it was still new for me. I didn’t know how to get the film out,” says Sanjay, who is visibly happy with the responses coming his way. Vinithra too is on a similar high about her first full-fledged role getting majorly positive reviews. “I wouldn’t call myself brave for choosing to do Maalai Nera Mallipoo. It was challenging, for sure, and it was extra special to play a role that is present throughout the film. It was the opportunity that mattered. I could explore my craft in this role. That was the clincher.”

Maalai Nera Mallipoo is about 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. Pointing to an article he read during the pandemic, Sanjay shares that he watched a lot of documentaries, and interviewed a lot of sex workers to understand their psyche during this tumultuous phase. “We spoke with a few of them, who were very open about the work they do, and how they kept themselves, and their children afloat during the pandemic. We spoke to trans people who helped a lot of their community members through their NGOs and other avenues. Such insights helped me write the script,” says Sanjay.

As a young filmmaker, who hasn’t assisted any director, Sanjay is clear that he belongs in the world of cinema. “I only know cinema and very little about anything else. I don’t speak a lot, but I do want to do a lot of movies. If I get the opportunity to express myself in this world, I would see it as a win,” says an earnest Sanjay. Giving him a warm and approving look for his passion, Vinithra signs off by explaining what this win means to her. “The opportunity itself was magic. Will I once again get a film that is entirely based on my character…I am not sure. Even if the response wasn’t positive, the fact that I played such a role, the energy, the team, and the creative process of Maalai Nera Mallipoo itself is a win that I would always cherish.”

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