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47 Natkal album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Thottu Kattiya Mappillai

From 47 Natkal · 1981

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jairam
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Movie name
47 Natkal
Movie release year
1981
Lyrics added on
29 Sept 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Thottu kattiya maapillai
Thozhil saainthathu pen pillai kondaattam
Katti kondavan sariyillai
Kaadhal enbathu muraiyillai porattam
Oru manadhukkul ragasiya mul veli
Adhil maraikindra unmaigal pala kodi
Avan avalukku koduthathu oru thaali
Aval avanudan vaazhndhathum oru naazhi
Thottu kattiya maapillai
Thozhil saainthathu pen pillai kondaattam
Katti kondavan sariyillai
Kaadhal enbathu muraiyillai porattam
Katti kondavan poi sonnaal
Kattil kondaval ennaavaal
Katti kondavan poi sonnaal
Kattil kondaval ennaavaal
Aadhaaram yaedhu aval vaazhvil
Aval idhayam pesinaal adhu edhaiyum pesalaam
Ivan kadhaiyum pesuma aval kaneer maaruma
Thottu kattiya maapillai
Thozhil saainthathu pen pillai kondaattam
Katti kondavan sariyillai
Kaadhal enbathu muraiyillai porattam
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la laa
Sandithaal adhu inbam thaan
Sindhithaal idhu thunbam thaan
Sandithaal adhu inbam thaan
Sindhithaal idhu thunbam thaan
Thaayagum aasaiyil vaazhnthaal
Aval pazhamai kannagi ivan pudhumai kovalan
Kadal pirikkum mannilae aval thudikkum devadhai
Thottu kattiya maapillai
Thozhil saainthathu pen pillai kondaattam
Katti kondavan sariyillai
Kaadhal enbathu muraiyillai porattam
Manjal kunguma pennaaga
Konjum mangala kannaga
Manjal kunguma pennaaga
Konjum mangala kannaga
Mel naadu naadiya paavai pala kanavil vandhaval
Pudhu ulagam kandaval sila thavarum paarkiraal
Adhai thamizhan seigiraan
Thottu kattiya maapillai
Thozhil saainthathu pen pillai kondaattam
Katti kondavan sariyillai
Kaadhal enbathu muraiyillai porattam
The groom who took her hand in marriage,
the girl resting on his shoulder was a celebration.
The man she wed is not true,
and this love is not right, it is a bitter struggle.
Inside a heart lies a secret barbed-wire fence,
hiding countless millions of truths.
What he gave her was a thali (sacred wedding thread),
and the time she lived with him was just a fleeting moment.
The groom who took her hand in marriage,
the girl resting on his shoulder was a celebration.
The man she wed is not true,
and this love is not right, it is a bitter struggle.
If the husband who wed her speaks lies,
what will become of the woman who shared his bed?
If the husband who wed her speaks lies,
what will become of the woman who shared his bed?
What support is there in her life?
If her heart speaks, it could tell of anything.
Will it speak of his story too? Will her tears ever end?
The groom who took her hand in marriage,
the girl resting on his shoulder was a celebration.
The man she wed is not true,
and this love is not right, it is a bitter struggle.
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la
Meeting him seemed like pure joy,
but thinking about it brings only sorrow.
Meeting him seemed like pure joy,
but thinking about it brings only sorrow.
She lived with the dream of becoming a mother.
She is a traditional Kannagi, and he is a modern Kovalan.
In a distant land across the sea, she is an angel trembling in pain.
The groom who took her hand in marriage,
the girl resting on his shoulder was a celebration.
The man she wed is not true,
and this love is not right, it is a bitter struggle.
As a woman adorned with turmeric and kumkum,
with sweet, auspicious eyes,
As a woman adorned with turmeric and kumkum,
with sweet, auspicious eyes,
the young woman who reached a foreign land, arriving with many dreams,
seeing a new world, she now witnesses wrongful deeds—
and it is a Tamil man who commits them.
The groom who took her hand in marriage,
the girl resting on his shoulder was a celebration.
The man she wed is not true,
and this love is not right, it is a bitter struggle.
Male
Male
Male
Female
Male
Male
Female
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Thottu Kattiya Maapillai from the 1981 film 47 Natkal depicts the tragic plight of a newlywed bride who travels abroad expecting a happy marital life, only to discover her husband's deceitful and abusive nature. The song captures the profound pain of betrayal, contrasting the joyful expectations of traditional marriage with the harrowing reality of living with an unfaithful partner in a foreign land. Kannadasan's lyrics express the protagonist's emotional turmoil, isolation, and loss of dignity as her dreams turn into a desperate struggle for survival.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethirsoal (Antithesis / Contrast)

“Sandithaal adhu inbam thaan / Sindhithaal idhu thunbam thaan”

Contrasts the initial joy of meeting with the agonizing sorrow that comes upon reflecting on the relationship's reality.

Epic Allusion (Purana Uriuchol)

“Aval pazhamai kannagi ivan pudhumai kovalan”

Compares the innocent wife to Kannagi and the flawed husband to Kovalan from the Tamil epic Silappatikaram.

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme / Assonance)

“Katti kondavan poi sonnaal / Kattil kondaval ennaavaal”

Uses matching second consonants 'tti' in Katti and Kattil to create rhythmic flow and dramatic emphasis.

Did you know?

Trivia

The film '47 Natkal' (47 Days) was directed by legendary filmmaker K. Balachander, starring Chiranjeevi and Jaya Prada. Based on a novel by Sivasankari, the story heavily critiques the exploitation of young Indian women lured into marriages abroad by deceitful men. The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan with lyrics penned by Kannadasan.

Keep listening

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