Unnikuttan,
We love how you adjust to every situation we throw your way. Not to say that you are always receptive and never throw tantrums, but most of the time you try to accept the change and move on. At times, you really enjoy new situations like your visit to Kerala this year for example. I was dreading it, to be honest, because I was expecting you to be whining about the weather being too hot or being wet in the monsoons or complaining about the food or being too snobbish in general. Instead you took to it like fish to water. You enjoyed each and every day to the fullest and played the American tourist to the T. We were amazed at how you could hold your own during a conversation with a group of my cousins all older teens and 20 somethings. You could connect to everyone despite not speaking much Malayalam. You made new friends, played till you dropped off disregarding the age of the people you were playing with. You remember the vacation with fond memories, and for that we are so grateful and proud. 🙂
This song is about a guy immersing himself in a different lifestyle than he’s used to for following his dreams of becoming an actor someday. I like all the songs in this movie because I feel the lyrics in each song suit the situation the protagonist is in, exactly at the time it plays. This is a pretty good movie and I think you like most of the songs from this.
Kanalu malayude mukalil oru idam
Kuruke pazhakiya periyoru vadam
[On top of the fire mountain
There is an old thick rope which lies across]
Ulayum athil avanude iru padham
Thakathimi thajham*
[His feet are caught in that
and he falls]
Nadana kalayude kodumudi thodaan
Alayum ithu vazhi oru puthu mukham
[To reach the pinnacle of acting arts
this fresh face is wandering]
Thirayum athin avan anubhava shatham
Kali palavidham
[He’s searching for more experiences
and playing many games (to enhance his acting talents)]
Muruki valarum oru abhinaya jwaram
Ivanu sirakalil athi gurutharam
[The acting craze is growing
really bad in his veins]
Thalayil aruluka thanuvinu thalam**
Nahi*** nahi phalam
[He needs to apply a cooling drug on his head
but looks like there is no use.]
Naraka nadiyude marukara pedaan
Adavu palathariyanam athu nijam
[To cross this river from hell
you need to learn a lot of tricks, that’s true!]
Vegili kayariya verukinu+ samam
ivanude manam
[Just like a restless civet,
his mind is restless too.]
Oruvanu kanavu oru pidiyaavam
Athinu oru vazhi thirayalum aavaam
[Anyone’s allowed a handful of dreams
and can looks for ways to accomplish those]
Jani verumoru jala vara aakki
Paazhakkan paadundo?
[Should you demean your life as a watermark
and waste it?]
Thala mukalil oru iruthala vaalu
Thara adimudi tharayana mullu
[Like a double edged sword hanging on top of your head
Or a floor full of sharp thorns]
Swayam oru keni panithu athinullil
Thannathan kerunno?
[Do those(dreams) create a trap for yourself
and make you fall into it?]
Pakalum iravilum ivanoru kothi
Vediyum avan athinu avanude kudi
[Morning and night he has one thought
and he’s ready to give up even his livelihood]
Sakala pirikalum ilakiya padi
Swayam ithu vidhi
[He’s gotten all his nuts loose and gone crazy
to make this fate happen]
Vipina naduvil oru ajagitha gathi
Aniyum adimudi puliyude tholi
[In this scary forest he’s the lamb
who is wearing a leopard’s skin]
Kodiya pulikali++ thudaruka vazhi
Gathi padukuzhi
[Trying to maintain this act of being a leopard,
he ends up a pit.]
Oduvil avasaram ivanau anayumo?
Thirayil ivanude nizhal unarumo?
[Will he finally get a chance?
Will his shadow come alive on the screen (movie)?]
Gagana padham athil ivan uyarumo?
Jayam anayumo?
[Will he be thrust into the orbit?
Will he win?]
Nadika thilakavum ivan aniyumo?
Ivane athu vazhi ulakariyumo?
[Will he be awarded the ‘Best Actor’?
Will the world come to know about him? ]
Samayam ithu sakalathum arulukil
Kadhayithu Shubham!
[If time tells all this,
his story ends on a happy note!]
Oruvanu kanavu oru pidiyaavam
Athinu oru vazhi thirayalum aavaam
[Anyone’s allowed a handful of dreams
and can looks for ways to accomplish those]
Jani verumoru jala vara aakki
Paazhakkan paadundo?
[Should you demean your life as a watermark
and waste it?]
Thala mukalil oru iruthala vaalu
Thara adimudi tharayana mullu
[Like a double edged sword hanging on top of your head
Or a floor full of sharp thorns]
Swayam oru keni panithu athinullil
Thannathan kerunno?
[Do those(dreams) create a trap for yourself
and make you fall into it?]
*Thakathimi thajam – This is a beat in Indian classical dance. It is used in a humorous way here to show the sound of falling.
**Thalam – Thalam or nellikka thalam to be exact is an ayurvedic paste made using nellikka (gooseberries ). This paste is supposed to give cooling effects to your body. Nellikka has a special taste – when you bite into it, it is
bitter and then leaves a sweet aftertaste when you swallow.This phenomenon even created a phrase in Malayalam to describe bittersweet emotions – “kaychittu irakkanum vayya, madhurichittu thuppanum vayya” which roughly translates
to “cannot swallow because it is bitter or spit because it is sweet”.
***Nahi – it is a Hindi word meaning ‘no’.
+Veruku(civet) – It’s a small animal which always moves around especially if it is caged.
++Pulikali – Pulikali is a traditional street art form of Kerala performed during Onam festival. Men paint their bodies to resemble leopards or tigers and dance to drum beats.
Thumbi vaa... 