- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- Thayanban
- Movie name
- Unnidathil Naan
- Movie release year
- 1986
- Lyrics added on
- 11 Mar 2023
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This uplifting motivational song from the film 'Unnidathil Naan' (1986) serves as an anthem of hope, resilience, and self-reliance. Lyricist Vaali questions passive fatalism, challenging the idea that inequality or human suffering is pre-ordained by God or written on one's forehead. Instead, he asserts that the future belongs to those who actively strive to shape it. The song emphasizes that true victory does not happen by chance; it is earned through sweat, intellect, and mental resolve, encouraging everyone to swim against the current of fate to reach prosperous shores.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvam)
“Vettri kani nam kaigalil vara vendum”
Compares success to a fruit ('Vettri kani') that needs active effort to ripen.
Metaphor (Uruvam)
“Arivuthaan manithaan aayutham / Idhayamthaan unathu kedayam”
Compares human intellect to a weapon and the heart to a shield in the battle of life.
Rhetorical Question
“Thalaiyil varaintha ezhuththaa / Iraivan ninaiththa karuththaa”
Questions traditional fatalistic beliefs regarding destiny and social inequality.
Ezhukai / Rhyme
“Ullangal uruthiyaanaal / Oonangal odipogum”
Uses rhyming sound structures ('Ullangal' / 'Oonangal') to emphasize the triumph of mental strength over physical limitations.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by Thayanban and rendered with characteristic vigor by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, this song stands out among 1980s Tamil cinema motivational tracks for Vaali's rationalist lyrics challenging fatalistic traditions.
Keep listening
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