- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- Sankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Anbu Roja
- Movie release year
- 1975
- Lyrics added on
- 15 Apr 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This sensual and romantic song expresses a lover's intense longing and deep emotional and physical dependency on her partner. Through the recurring motif of a fish unable to survive without water, she highlights how incomplete her life feels in his absence. She describes her solitary waiting like a ripe fig fruit left untouched and invites her lover into an intimate world filled with intoxication, affection, and passion. The lyricist skillfully blends metaphors of literature—such as prefaces, essays, and conclusions—with physical intimacy, depicting love as a shared story crafted together by two souls.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Uvamai)
“Neer illamal meen illai / Aththi marathu kaniyaaga”
Compares her existence without her lover to a fish living without water, and her lonely wait on the bed to a ripe fig fruit waiting for a parrot.
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Bodhai ennum saagarathil konjam neendhu”
'Bodhai ennum saagarathil' metaphorically terms intoxication as a vast ocean, while 'Kattoorai theettu' metaphorically compares intimate physical love to writing an essay.
Code-Switching / Multi-lingual integration
“Dil thaera mandhir hae ek devi andhar hai”
Integrates Hindi lines into a Tamil song structure to add a stylish, cosmopolitan charm typical of 1970s club and romantic cinema tracks.
Anaphora & Rhyme (Monai / Ethirai)
“Nee illamal naan illai / Neer illamal meen illai”
Repetition of initial words and rhyming sounds at the start of lines ('Nee illamal' / 'Neer illamal') to establish rhythmic musicality.
Did you know?
Trivia
In the 1970s Tamil film era, lyricists like Kannadasan frequently incorporated Hindi phrases into club, cabaret, or playful intimate tracks to create a trendy, glamorous appeal for contemporary urban audiences.
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