- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Inspector Manaivi
- Movie release year
- 1976
- Lyrics added on
- 14 Aug 2023
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This upbeat cabaret-style track from 'Inspector Manaivi' (1976) portrays a stylish and alluring woman making a grand entry. Through playful imagery, the singer compares women across different global regions—describing European women as fair fruits and Asian women as sweet, parrot-like beauties—while flirting with the listener using clever wordplay and Tanglish phrases. Composed by Shankar-Ganesh and penned by Kannadasan, the song captures the trendy, Westernized club music style popular in 1970s Tamil cinema, brought to life by P. Susheela's dynamic vocals.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Upamai (Simile)
“Thangam pondra angangalai maraikka vanthaalaam”
Comparing golden limbs using the explicit comparative word 'pondra' (like).
Uruvagam (Metaphor)
“Europe pengal ellaam vellai kanigal / Asia-vin mangayarthaan pillai kiligal”
Directly equating European women to white fruits and Asian women to young parrots without comparative words.
Edhugai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Aadaamal aadugiraen / Podaamal podugiraen”
Rhyming the second consonant sound 'da' across lines for rhythmic fluidity.
Code-Switching (Tanglish)
“Man is temple sir / Mind is mongey sir”
Playfully blending simple English phrases with Tamil rhythm to reflect modern club culture.
Did you know?
Trivia
This song stands as an example of lyricist Kannadasan's versatility in writing trendy, youth-centric Tanglish cabaret numbers alongside his deeply philosophical devotional and tragic songs.
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