- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Japanil Kalyanaraman
- Movie release year
- 1985
- Lyrics added on
- 11 Nov 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Appapaa Thithikkum' is a playful, romantic dance song from the 1985 film 'Japanil Kalyanaraman', written by lyricist Vairamuthu and composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja. The lyrics celebrate the intense sweetness of passion, comparing a lover's golden kiss to spiritual liberation (Moksha) and framing the joy of romantic love as the ultimate heavenly experience on Earth. Using hyperbolic imagery, the song boasts that even celestial maidens like Menaka and Urvashi pale in comparison to the protagonist's charm. Vairamuthu ingeniously uses a financial metaphor—treating youth as an expenditure ('selavu') that brings a rich return in sweetness ('varavu')—encouraging lovers to fully indulge in the short-lived feast of youth.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Financial Metaphor (Selavu & Varavu)
“Ilamaikku selavu irukattum... Inimaikku varavu nadakattum”
Compares youth to financial accounting where spending youth ('Ilamaikku selavu') brings income of sweetness ('Inimaikku varavu').
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Indhira ulagamum / Chandhira ulagamum”
Matching opening consonant sounds across consecutive lines (Indhira / Chandhira, Kaadhaloo / Kaamanae).
Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Appapaa thithikkum / Motchangal sithikkum”
Matching second consonants across lines (thithikkum / sithikkum, Menagai / Oorvasi).
Hyperbole (Ushnavina/Athisayokthi)
“Menagai enn naatiyam paarthadhal maraindhaal”
Exaggerating beauty by claiming heavenly dancers Menaka and Urvashi were humbled and overshadowed.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Japanil Kalyanaraman' (1985), directed by S. P. Muthuraman and starring Kamal Haasan and Radha, was the sequel to the 1979 blockbuster 'Kalyanaraman' and was famous for being one of the earliest Tamil films shot extensively on location in Japan. The song features Ilaiyaraaja's vibrant fusion beats and Vairamuthu's witty lyricism.
Keep listening
Songs with a similar feeling
From the same album
More songs from Japanil Kalyanaraman
View albumSpot an issue?
Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.