- Lyricist
- A. R. Rahman
- Singer
- Noel James
- Music director
- A. R. Rahman
- Movie name
- Duet
- Movie release year
- 1994
- Lyrics added on
- 15 Aug 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poem explores the dark, agonizing, and unpredictable nature of love, framing it as a gamble that frequently results in emotional distress and suffering. It highlights the powerlessness of material wealth against love's trials, asserting that financial status cannot secure success in matters of the heart. Ultimately, the lines depict love as a chaotic force where overwhelming grief and heartache eventually subside under the sheer weight of life's harsh realities.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor
“Love is torture”
Compares love directly to torture to emphasize the emotional distress it inflicts.
Metaphor
“Love is gamble”
Compares love to a game of chance where the outcome is unpredictable and risky.
End Rhyme
“A strain / To lose the game / Love has this crazy name / Died down in shame”
The words strain, game, name, and shame create an end-rhyme scheme connecting the lines structurally.
Personification
“Died down in shame”
Attributes human behaviors (dying down in shame) to abstract emotions like pain and sorrow.
Did you know?
Trivia
Duet (1994) is a celebrated Tamil musical romantic drama directed by K. Balachander with music composed by A.R. Rahman. The soundtrack is famous for incorporating extensive saxophone instrumentation played by the legendary maestro Kadri Gopalnath.
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