Maappillai () is a 1952 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by T. R. Raghunath and written by V. N. Sambandam. The film stars T. R. Ramachandran, P. K. Saraswathi and T. K. Ramachandran. It revolves around an office boy who becomes wealthy in a rags to riches manner, and the attempts made by his boss's son to destroy him and usurp his wealth. The film was released on 7 November 1952 and became a success.
Maappillai was directed by T. R. Raghunath, written by V. N. Sambandam and produced by National Productions. Cinematography was handled by P. S. Selvaraj, and editing by S. A. Murugesan. The film was shot and processed at Newton Studios. Its final length was .
The soundtrack was composed by T. R. Pappa and N. S. Balakrishnan, while the lyrics were written by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass. The song "Dosu Kodukka Venum", picturised on Radhakrishnan and Rajam, satirises "men, mores and morals", and attained popularity.
Maappillai was released on 7 November 1952. The film initially faced a poor commercial performance; in response, the makers bought the rights to a short film advertising a circus and added it to screenings. This attracted more audiences, and the film became a commercial success.