Kanmani Anboodu - Guna

Guna is a mad love story. A mentally retarded man is fed the idea that there is a special girl for him. Guna is able to pick locks very well, and a crooked uncle needing to break into a temple treasury randomly points to a girl saying that is Guna’s Abiraami - a name that they have created. Following a botched robbery and chaos, Guna ends up taking away Abiraami/Rohini to a remote mountain top. Guna is ardently and honestly in love. Abiraami on the other hand reacts as a scared kidnapped person would. Over time though, Abiraami seems to understand Guna. To say that Abiraami loves Guna is a stretch, but she does begin to accept him.

Again, one of Kamal’s amazing power packed performances. Classic Ilayaraaja music. And a girl so pretty, that some of us when in school scaled the hostel walls and ran off to see the movie again for a second time with money we hardly had. ha ha. Ridiculous! But was fun then - a short term school kid obsession with a film actress.

In the context of this song, Guna has moved themselves to some hidden caves. There he is attempting to write a letter to her.

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Male: Ezhudhu, ezhudhu

Write, write …

Female:Enne ezhudhurathu

What to write?

Male: Letter
Female: Yaarukku

To whom?

Male: Unakku

To you?

Female: Enakka?

To me?

Male: Enakku ezhudha varaadhu? Ippodhaa kazhethu pooda kathikku...

I don’t know how to write. Only recently I learnt to put a sig...

Female: Wait, wait, Enakku nee ezhuthira letter, naan ezhuthi …

The letter that you are writing to me, I write it and ...

Male: … enakku padichu katteettu, nee padi.

… and you read it out for me, and then you read.

Female: I like it. Chollu.

Ok, tell me.

Male: Kanmani anboodu kaadhalan naan …
naan, ezhuthum, kaditham … illae … kadithaasi, chey kadithamae irukkattam. padi.

My dear, with love … this lover is writing to you … a letter, a note? no, just put letter. read.

Kanmani anboada kaadhalan, naan eludhum kadidhamae

Male: Paattaavae padichittiya? Appo naanum … mothale kanmani sonnele, inge ponmani poottukko. Ponmani un veettile soukyama? Naan ingae soukyam.

You made a tune of it! In that case, I too … first I said my dear no, now put my darling. My darling, are you fine at home? I’m fine here.

Ponmani unn veetil sowkiyamaa? Naan ingu sowkiyamae,

Male: aaha, unnae nenaichu paakkumboothu kavithae manasilae aruvi maathiri kottudhu. Aaana athe ezhuthanoonu okkaantha antha ezhuthu thaan, vaarthae

Lovely! When I think of you, poetry flows in my mind like a stream, but when I try to put it down in words … that writing … those words …

Unnai enni paarkkaiyil kavidhai kottuthu,
Adhai elutha ninaikkauyil vaarthai mootuthu,

Male: Athaan, athae thaan. Pramaadham. Kavithe, kavithe. Padi.

That’s it. Perfect. Poetry, poetry! Read.

Kanmani anboada kaadhalan, Naan eludhum kadidhamae,

My dear, this letter is written with affection by this lover

Ponmani unn veetil sowkiyamaa? Naan ingu sowkiyamae,

My darling, are you fine at home? I’m doing fine here.

Unnai enni paarkkaiyil kavidhai kottuthu,

When I think of you each time, verses flow in my mind

Adhai elutha ninaikkauyil vaarthai mootuthu,

But when I consider writing it down, I am stumped for words

Male: mmmm … enakku undaana kaayam athu thannaalae aaridum. athu ennamoo enru theriyila, enna maayamoo ennu theriyile, enakku onnum aavurathillae. ithuvum ezhuthukkae. nadu naduvile maanae, thenae, ponmaanae ellaam poottukkanum. intha paaru, enakku enna kaayam irundhalum athu yen odambu thaangidum. on odambu thaangumo? thaangaathu. abiraami. abiraami abiraami.

Wounds on me automatically heal. I don’t know what it is or what magic it is, but nothing happens to me. Write this also. And in between put my dear, my darling and all. See, whatever happens to me, my body will take it, but will yours? No, it won’t. Abiraami, [my] abiraami.

Female: athuvum ezhuthanuma.

Should I write that also?

Male: Heh heh. Ille … athu kaathal. yen kaathal yenna yennu sollaamae yenge yenge azhukeya varudhu. aana naan azhuthu yen soogam unnae thaakkudumo enru nenaikkum poothu, varuka azhugai koode ninnurathu.

Heh heh … no … that’s just my love. I’m unable to express my love, and because of that sadness hits me in waves. But when I think that if I cry then you will also feel sad, my sadness also stops.

Male: Manithan unarnthu kolla, ithu manitha kaathal allae. Atheyum thaandi, ithu punithamaanathu.

That man should be provoked by our love, this is not mortal love.
Way beyond that, this love is divine.

Undaana kaayam yaavum, Thannaalae aari poagum,
Maayam enna ponmaanae ponmaanae,

That my hurts heal automatically, I don’t know what magic that is

Enna kaayam aana podhum, Yen maeni thangi kollum,
Undhan maeni thaangaadhu senthaenae,

Whatever the wounds my body can handle it, but yours cannot

Enthan kaadhal ennavendru sollaamal, Aenga aenga alugai vanthathu,

Unable to express my love, I heave with approaching tears

Enthan soagam unnai thaakkum, Endrenumbothu vandha alugai nindrathu,

But thinking that my sadness will affect you, my tears stop

Manithar unarndha kolla, Idhu manitha kaadhal alla,
Adhaiyum thaandi punithamaanathu,

That man should be provoked by our love, this is not mortal love.
Way beyond that, this love is divine.

Abiraamiyae, thaalattum saamiyae, Naandhaanae theriyumaa?

Abiraami, I’m the lord that cradles you, do you know that?

Sivagaamiyae sivanil neeyum paadhiyae, Adhuvum oonakku puriyumaa?

Siva’s wife, half of siva is you, do you understand that?

From what I see there seems to be relationship between the name Abirami and the God Siva, but I don’t know what that is. Abirami is a common name Tamilnadu. An early search connected it to Lakshmi, which might not be right, as Lakshmi is lord Vishnu’s consort.

Suba laali laali laali laali,
Abiraami laali laali laali...

The context is wonderful, but you can skip to the start of the song picturisation at 4:00.