- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singers
- P. Susheela, T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Sorkkam Naragam
- Movie release year
- 1977
- Lyrics added on
- 13 Apr 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Mallu Vetti Madichu Kattum is a playful and lively rural romantic duet between a man and a woman. The song opens with the heroine extolling the rustic charm of her lover, praising his traditional folded dhoti and comparing his virility to a fine bull, while expressing that she cannot bear separation from him. In turn, the hero teasingly compares her beauty and sweetness to famous regional delicacies like Salem mangoes and Dindigul jackfruit, complaining playfully that her rhythmic gait drives his heart to despair. Through clever village metaphors involving riverbank sugarcane, sweet pongal, ants, and lotus flowers, the pair engage in endearing folk banter about romance and gender roles. The heroine cleverly remarks that while men love to stand out visibly like lotus flowers floating above water, women act as the hidden stem below that grounds and supports everything. Penned by Kannadasan, the song beautifully blends rural folklore tropes with passionate declarations of love.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagandhal)
“Selangatti maampazhamae / Dindigul palaapazhamae”
Compares the beloved woman to famous fruits of specific Tamil regions (Salem mangoes and Dindigul jackfruits) to emphasize her sweetness and regional pride.
Simile (Uvamai)
“Nee erumbu pola nadanthu vanthu / Inippai adhilae thedu”
Compares the lover's soft and persistent approach to an ant moving steadily towards sweet jaggery pongal.
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Pinjukodi ennidaththil / Piriyamulla sevaththakaala saami”
Repetition of the initial sound 'Pi' ('Pinjukodi' / 'Piriyamulla') creates poetic resonance across consecutive lines.
Allegory / Symbolic Contrast
“Aambalainga poovai pola / Veliyil solvathu undu ... Adhilae naanga thandu”
Uses the image of a lotus flower (visible above water) and its stem (hidden under water) to symbolize the expressive nature of men versus the supportive, foundational nature of women.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by the musical duo Shankar-Ganesh and sung by T. M. Soundararajan alongside P. Susheela, this song stands out as a memorable 1970s rural duet featuring Kannadasan's signature folk-style lyrics filled with regional Tamil idioms.
Keep listening
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