- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Maalaiyitta Mangai
- Movie release year
- 1958
- Lyrics added on
- 7 Apr 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Written by lyricist Kannadasan for the 1958 film 'Maalaiyitta Mangai', this song is a sharp critique of patriarchal double standards and societal hypocrisy toward women. It dismantles the sanctimonious narrative that family life is the ultimate virtue, exposing how society restricts a woman's freedom, leaving her neither room to live with dignity nor freedom to escape her suffering.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monaia / Alliteration
“Illaram ondrae nallaram endrivar”
Matching initial consonant sounds in 'Illaram' and 'Nallaram' creates a rhythmic sonic foundation in the opening theme.
Simile (Uvamai)
“Veettil kallai pola iruppadhinaalae”
Compares a woman's passive, voiceless suffering in the household to an unfeeling stone statue ('kallai pola'), highlighting how society misinterprets her forced silence as divinity.
Rhetorical Question
“Maanam enbadhu pengalukkendraal / Aangalukkaenillai”
Challenges societal morality by asking why chastity and honor are demanded exclusively from women while exempting men.
Epanalepsis / Epistrophe
“Pennai vaazhavum vida maattaar / Avarae saagavum vida maattaar”
The repetitive refrain 'vida maattaar' emphasizes absolute confinement and helplessness, reiterating that society will neither allow her a meaningful life nor an escape through death.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Maalaiyitta Mangai' (1958) was produced by lyricist Kannadasan under his banner Kannadasan Films. The iconic music was composed by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy and sung by M. S. Rajeswari. This track is celebrated as one of Tamil cinema's most potent feminist anthems from the golden era.
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