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Lyrics & meaning

Kadhal Illamal

From Kali Kaalam · 1992

Lyricist
Panchu Arunachalam
Singers
Swarnalatha, Mano
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Kali Kaalam1992

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Kaadhal illaamal vaazhvilIn life without love,
Ennaalum inbam illaiyaethere is never any joy.
Female :Aan pen endraalaeFemale: Speaking of man and woman,
Aasai kollaamal ulagam illaiyaethe world cannot exist without desire.
Male
Ilamai enbadhae inimaiYouth itself is sweetness,
Chorus :HoohooChorus: Hoohoo
Male :Inimai illaiyael kodumaiMale: If there is no sweetness, it is misery.
Chorus :HooChorus: Hoo
Male :Adhai rasithu vaazhvadhaeMale: Living life relishing it
Perumai purindhadhaa haa…is a matter of pride, understood? Haa...
Chorus
Kaadhal illaamal vaazhvilIn life without love,
Ennaalum inbam illaiyaethere is never any joy.
Aan pen endraalaeSpeaking of man and woman,
Aasai kollaamal ulagam illaiyaethe world cannot exist without desire.
Female
Ninaitha sugangalai anubaviExperience the pleasures you dreamed of,
Adhu ilamai kavidhaiyin pallavithat is the refrain of youth's poetry.
Chorus :HoiiChorus: Hoii
Male :Anaithu rasippadhil aanandhamMale: Embracing and relishing brings happiness,
Adhil adangi rusippadhu perinbamimmersing oneself and tasting it is supreme bliss.
Chorus :HoiChorus: Hoi
Female
Aangal illaamal pen yedhuWhat is a woman without men?
Pengal illaamal aan yedhuWhat is a man without women?
Male
Oruvar oruvaraai pirandhomaeWe were born as individuals,
Iruvar oruvaraai inaindhomaebut we united together as one.
Male
Neram kaalangal serugindra podhuWhen time and seasons align,
Inbam dhoora pogumo kanmaniwill joy ever fade away, my beloved?
Female
Kaadhal illaamal vaazhvilIn life without love,
Ennaalum inbam illaiyaethere is never any joy.
Male :Aan pen endraalaeMale: Speaking of man and woman,
Aasai kollaamal ulagam illaiyaethe world cannot exist without desire.
Female
Ilamai enbadhae inimaiYouth itself is sweetness,
Chorus :HoohooChorus: Hoohoo
Female :Inimai illaiyael kodumaiFemale: If there is no sweetness, it is misery.
Chorus :HooChorus: Hoo
Female :Adhai rasithu vaazhvadhaeFemale: Living life relishing it
Perumai purindhadhaa haa…is a matter of pride, understood? Haa...
Chorus
Kaadhal illaamal vaazhvilIn life without love,
Ennaalum inbam illaiyaethere is never any joy.
Aan pen endraalaeSpeaking of man and woman,
Aasai kollaamal ulagam illaiyaethe world cannot exist without desire.
Male
Oruthan oruthiyai ninaippadhuA man thinking of a woman,
Andha oruthi oruvanai rasippadhumand that woman appreciating that man—
Chorus :HoiChorus: Hoi
Female :Iyarkkai koduthu vaitha seedhanamFemale: —is a dowry gifted by nature.
Idhai marandhu povadhenna madathanamWhy forget this? What foolishness!
Chorus :HoiChorus: Hoi
Male
Pookkal illaamal kaaikkaadhuWithout flowers, trees cannot bear fruit,
Megam illaamal neer yedhuwithout clouds, where is the water?
Female
Paravai pola naam parappomaeLet us fly like birds,
Kanavil dhinam dhinam midhappomaelet us float in dreams every single day.
Male
Neram kaalangal serugindra podhuWhen time and seasons align,
Inbam dhoora pogumo kanmaniwill joy ever fade away, my beloved?
Male
Kaadhal illaamal vaazhvilIn life without love,
Ennaalum inbam illaiyaethere is never any joy.
Female :Aan pen endraalaeFemale: Speaking of man and woman,
Aasai kollaamal ulagam illaiyaethe world cannot exist without desire.
Male
Ilamai enbadhae inimaiYouth itself is sweetness,
Chorus :HoohooChorus: Hoohoo
Male :Inimai illaiyael kodumaiMale: If there is no sweetness, it is misery.
Chorus :HooChorus: Hoo
Male :Adhai rasithu vaazhvadhaeMale: Living life relishing it
Perumai purindhadhaa haa…is a matter of pride, understood? Haa...
Chorus
Kaadhal illaamal vaazhvilIn life without love,
Ennaalum inbam illaiyaethere is never any joy.
Aan pen endraalaeSpeaking of man and woman,
Aasai kollaamal ulagam illaiyaethe world cannot exist without desire.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Kaadhal illaamal vaazhvil from the 1992 film Kali Kaalam is a rhythmic celebration of romance, youth, and mutual affection between partners. Lyricist Panchu Arunachalam expresses how human existence acquires genuine pleasure only through love and shared passion, characterizing desire as a fundamental force that sustains the world. Through lively back-and-forth exchanges, the song draws parallels between romantic harmony and natural phenomena—such as flowers yielding fruit or clouds providing rain. It encourages living in the moment, embracing youthful joy as poetry, and cherishing love as a precious dowry gifted by nature itself.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Adhu ilamai kavidhaiyin pallavi

Compares youth's pleasures to the 'pallavi' (opening refrain) of a poem/song.

Analogy / Parallelism

Pookkal illaamal kaaikkaadhu / Megam illaamal neer yedhu

Uses natural dependencies (flowers/fruit, clouds/rain) to illustrate the essential interdependence of man and woman.

Initial Alliteration (Monai)

Anaithu rasippadhil aanandham / Adhil adangi rusippadhu perinbam

Repetition of the initial vowel sound 'A' creating rhythmic flow across lines.

Rhetorical Question

Aangal illaamal pen yedhu / Pengal illaamal aan yedhu

Asks rhetorical questions to emphasize the essential nature of romantic unity.

Did you know?

Trivia

Panchu Arunachalam was a prolific Tamil screenwriter, lyricist, and producer responsible for reinventing commercial Tamil cinema in the late 1970s and 1980s. The film 'Kali Kaalam' (1992) starred standard 90s character actors and featured music composed by legendary singer-composer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam.

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