- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Music director
- A. R. Rahman
- Movie name
- Kochadaiiyaan
- Movie release year
- 2014
- Lyrics added on
- 17 Sept 2017
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song from Kochadaiiyaan conveys the profound grief and helplessness of separation between two lovers. Using classical Sangam literature metaphors, the lyrics depict the heart as something fragile and disoriented—like a peacock's egg rolling on a scorching rock or a flower caught in a turbulent whirlpool. Nature itself seems to stall in sorrow, with creepers forgetting to bloom and lightning forgetting to strike.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Uwamai (Classical Simile)
“Senthee vizhuntha Sempor paaraiyl... Maylin muttaiyaai”
Compares the fragile, unstable state of the grieving heart to a peacock's egg rolling on a hot rock ('Maylin muttaiyaai') and a flower caught in a flood whirlpool ('Vella suzhiyil vizhunthu malarai').
Adukkuthodai (Repetition for Emphasis)
“Idhayam nazhuvi nazhuvi Naganthu nagarnthu”
Repetition of words like 'nazhuvi nazhuvi' (slipping) and 'naganthu nagarnthu' (moving) to emphasize the helpless, continuous drifting of the heart.
Sangam Allegory / Parallelism
“Senthamizh piriyum sangam Sengadal piriyum alaigal”
Lists unnatural, impossible separations (Tamil from the Sangam, waves from the ocean, wind from sound, sculpture from chisel) to highlight how painful and unnatural their physical separation feels.
Muran (Antithesis)
“En uyiro sirithae Kaadhalo perithae”
Juxtaposes 'sirithae' (small) with 'perithae' (great/immense), contrasting the insignificance and brevity of physical life against the vastness of boundless love.
Did you know?
Trivia
The song draws heavy inspiration from ancient Sangam poetry (specifically 'Kuruntokai'). The line 'En uyiro sirithae, kaadhalo perithae' directly echoes the famous Kuruntokai verse 'Nilathinum Perithe' composed by Devakottai Siraiyur Ponkooshanar, which contrasts the scale of the earth and sky with the vastness of love. The movie Kochadaiiyaan (2014), directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth, was India's first photorealistic 3D motion capture film, featuring music composed by A. R. Rahman.
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