- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singer
- Chorus
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Sathi Leelavathi
- Movie release year
- 1995
- Lyrics added on
- 17 Feb 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This lighthearted and observational chorus song explores the wide variety of husband-wife dynamics and marital relationships. It categorizes different types of couples—from those who constantly squabble like a cat and mouse, to those who are harmoniously united like body and soul. The lyrics paint humorous pictures of domestic life, depicting households where traditional gender roles are reversed, tempers flare like fierce deities, or partners mismatched like ill-fitting lids still manage to stay together.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Anaphora / Repetition (Adukku Thodar)
“எத்தனை வகை எத்தனை வகை எத்தனைக் கதை எத்தனைக் கதை”
The words 'எத்தனை வகை' and 'எத்தனைக் கதை' are repeated sequentially to emphasize the endless diversity of marital situations and household stories.
Metaphor and Onomatopoeia
“எலியும் பூனையாய் மியாவ்”
Compares bickering spouses to a cat and a mouse, punctuated by the playful onomatopoeic cat sound 'மியாவ்' (meow).
Proverbial Analogy
“ஜாடிக்குப் பொருந்தாத மூடி போல் வாழ்ந்தாலும்”
References the popular Tamil idiom of the 'jar and lid' (ஜாடிக்கு ஏத்த மூடி) in reverse to describe mismatched couples who despite their differences manage to live together.
Antithesis
“ஆண்மை பெரியதா பெண்மை பெரியதா உயர்வோ தாழ்வோ குடும்பத்தில் ஏது”
Juxtaposes masculinity ('ஆண்மை') and femininity ('பெண்மை') alongside high ('உயர்வோ') and low ('தாழ்வோ') status to question gender hierarchies in family life.
Did you know?
Trivia
Sathi Leelavathi (1995), directed by Balu Mahendra, is a comedy film centered on marital infidelity and domestic misunderstandings. This thematic chorus song acts as a musical overture that sets up the film's core exploration of husband-wife relationships.
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