- Lyricist
- Pavalar Varadarajan
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Keladi Kanmani
- Movie release year
- 1990
- Lyrics added on
- 21 Nov 2017
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Mannil Intha Kaadhalandri' is an iconic romantic song celebrating the essence of love and womanhood as the fundamental source of joy and beauty in human existence. The song asserts that nature's grandeur—such as moonlight, rivers, nectar, and spring—holds no true sweetness without the company and grace of a woman. It poetically describes a woman's features from head to toe as a divine creation capable of bringing supreme happiness to life. Through vivid metaphors comparing feminine beauty to gems, coral, flowers, and classical arts, the lyrics proclaim that living without acknowledging or experiencing love renders life meaningless. It highlights that a man deprived of such divine companionship becomes like a detached monk, emphasizing womanhood as the ultimate feast for the soul.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Rhetorical Question (Athanai வினா)
“Yarum vazhthal koodumo”
The lyrics use rhetorical questions like 'Yarum vazhthal koodumo' (Can anyone live?) to assert that living without love is impossible.
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Virunthugal padaithidum arangamum avalallava”
Comparing a woman's features to pearls, corals, and a stage that serves a feast ('Virunthugal padaithidum arangamum avalallava').
Iyaibu (Rhyme / Assonance)
“Santhanamum sanga thamizhum”
Matching end sounds across sequential lines such as 'Santhanamum', 'vasanthamum', and 'kumudhamum'.
Edhugai (Second letter rhyming)
“Mannil intha kaadhalandri”
Rhyming of the second letter 'nn' in lines like 'Mannil' and 'Ennam'.
Did you know?
Trivia
This song from 'Keladi Kanmani' (1990) is famous in Tamil cinema history because singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam performed the main verses in a single continuous breath (breathless song technique), composed by Ilaiyaraaja with lyrics by Pavalar Varadarajan.
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