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Manmadha Leelai album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Hello My Dear Wrong Number

From Manmadha Leelai · 1976

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singers
K. J. Yesudas, L. R. Eswari
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Movie name
Manmadha Leelai
Movie release year
1976
Lyrics added on
23 May 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Hello
Female :Hello
Male :Hello my dear wrong number..
Hello my dear wrong number..
Ketkavae undhan kural sorgam
Nerilae paarthaal enna vetkam
Ketkavae undhan kural sorgam
Nerilae paarthaal enna vetkam
Karpanai oraayiram..
Karpanai oraayiram
Oru murai paarthaal enna.aa..
H e l l o
Male :Hello my dear wrong number..
Female :Kettathum theerum
Ungal thaagam
Nerinil paarthaal enna laabam
Kettathum theerum
Ungal thaagam
Nerinil paarthaal enna laabam
Arputham edhum illai
Adhisaiya pennmai illai…hello
Male :Hello my dear wrong number..
Female :Kettathum theerum
Ungal thaagam
Nerinil paarthaal enna laabam
Kaaviriyin meeno
Female :Hmm
Male :Poviriyum thaeno
Female :Hmm mmm
Kaaviriyin meeno
Poviriyum thaeno
Devamagal thaano
Thaedi varalaamo
Female :Not yet..
Poovai ennai paarthaal
Kaadhal varakkoodum
Male :Really
Female :Poovai ennai paarthaal
Kaadhal varakkoodum
Poojaiarai paarthal…
Aasai varakkoodum
Male :I dont mind
Karppanai oraayiram
Orumurai paarthaal enna
Hello
Male :Hello my dear wrong number..
Ketkavae undhan kural sorgam
Female :Hmm
Male :Nerilae paarthaal enna vetkam
Female :Hmm mmm
Unnidathil kaadhal
Ullavargal yaaro
Male :Enna vendru solven
Unnaiyandri yaaro
Female :Veli ulla mullai
Male :Veli enakkillai
Female :Veli ulla mullai
Male :Veli enakkillai
Female :Porumaiyudan irungal
Male :Mudhumai varum variyo
Hello
Male :Hello my dear wrong number..
Ketkavae undhan kural sorgam
Female :Hmm
Male :Nerilae paarthaal enna vetkam
Female :Hmm mmm
Male :Karpanai oraayiram..
Oru murai paarthaal enna.aa..
Hello
Male :Hello
Hello
Female: Hello
Male: Hello, my dear wrong number...
Hello, my dear wrong number...
Just hearing your voice is heaven,
why be shy to meet face to face?
Just hearing your voice is heaven,
why be shy to meet face to face?
A thousand fantasies fill my mind...
A thousand fantasies fill my mind,
why not see each other just once? Ah...
H-E-L-L-O
Male: Hello, my dear wrong number...
Female: It is quenched the moment you hear it—
your thirst!
What will you gain by seeing me in person?
It is quenched the moment you hear it—
your thirst!
What will you gain by seeing me in person?
There is nothing extraordinary about me,
no miraculous womanhood here... Hello!
Male: Hello, my dear wrong number...
Female: It is quenched the moment you hear it—
your thirst!
What will you gain by seeing me in person?
Are you a fish from the river Kaveri?
Female: Mmm
Male: Or the honey from a blooming flower?
Female: Mmm-mmm
Are you a fish from the river Kaveri?
Or the honey from a blooming flower?
Are you an angel from heaven?
May I come looking for you?
Female: Not yet...
If you look at a girl like me,
love might blossom.
Male: Really?
Female: If you look at a girl like me,
love might blossom.
If you see the inner chamber...
desire might awaken!
Male: I don't mind!
A thousand fantasies fill my mind,
why not see each other just once?
Hello
Male: Hello, my dear wrong number...
Just hearing your voice is heaven,
Female: Mmm
Male: why be shy to meet face to face?
Female: Mmm-mmm
Who are the ones
in love with you?
Male: What can I say?
Who else is there but you?
Female: I am a jasmine behind a fence!
Male: Fences cannot stop me!
Female: I am a jasmine behind a fence!
Male: Fences cannot stop me!
Female: Please be patient!
Male: Until old age arrives?
Hello
Male: Hello, my dear wrong number...
Just hearing your voice is heaven,
Female: Mmm
Male: why be shy to meet face to face?
Female: Mmm-mmm
Male: A thousand fantasies fill my mind...
Why not see each other just once? Ah...
Hello
Male: Hello
Male
Female
Male
Male
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

'Hello My Dear Wrong Number' is a playful, flirtatious telephonic duet from the 1976 Tamil film 'Manmadha Leelai'. The song portrays a charming conversation between a charming man who connects to a woman via a wrong phone number. Mesmerized purely by her enchanting voice, the male protagonist tries to persuade her to meet him in person, while the female character teasingly holds him off, warning him that seeing her might spark uncontrollable affection and desire. The song captures the youthful excitement, mystery, and sensual banter of modern urban romance in the 1970s. Through witty exchanges and poetic metaphors comparing her to river fish, flower honey, and fenced jasmine, the lyrics written by Kannadasan highlight the sweet tension between eager masculine persistence and playful feminine restraint.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyming)

“Ketkavae undhan kural sorgam / Nerilae paarthaal enna vetkam”

The second letters 't' (ட்) in 'Ketkavae' and 'r' (ற்) in 'Nerilae' follow rhythmic acoustic rhyme matching line patterns.

Iyaipu (End Rhyming)

“Kaaviriyin meeno / Poviriyum thaeno / Devamagal thaano”

The lines end with similar sounding rhyming words: 'meeno', 'thaeno', and 'thaano'.

Metaphor (Uruvagaimai)

“Veli ulla mullai”

The woman compares herself to a jasmine flower protected inside a fenced yard, symbolizing her cautiousness.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi Ani)

“Karpanai oraayiram”

'A thousand imaginations' exaggerates the depth of creative romantic thoughts arising from a simple phone call.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Manmadha Leelai' (1976) was directed by K. Balachander and starred Kamal Haasan in the lead role. The soundtrack was composed by the legendary M. S. Viswanathan with lyrics by Kannadasan. This song was sung by K. J. Yesudas and L. R. Eswari, and it became an iconic telephonic romance song in Tamil cinema history, frequently referenced for its stylish westernized rhythm and playful conversational structure.

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