Kannondu Chollanu- You natter with your gaze


There are some songs which strikes the right note at first hearing and this song is one such. The people behind this song have used the backdrop of Iruvazhinjippuzha, Mukkam in North Kerala to thread the love ballads with the apt metaphors. Vijay Yesudas is building a legacy which his father can be proud of. I have a strong suspicion that the female lead is sung by Manjari, although the credits say it is Shreya.

Rafeeq Ahamed is the person behind the lyrics who has woven a lyrical brocade. M Jayachandran never disappoints when he is asked to come up with melody. The lead pair Prithviraj ( a legend in making, if not already) and Parvathi (her eyes are so expressive) give it life to complete the effort.

About myself, could not post anything last month. Promise all that I will come up with more translations in the ensuing weeks.

Kannondu chollanu mindaandu mindanu
Punnaara panamthatha doore…
Chundondu chonnathu nenchondu kekkanu
Panchaara panamthatha koode..
Poovarassin chillayonnil kili randum koodananje..hoy…
Maarivillin therirangi mazha vannu koottirunne…
Mazha vannu koottirunne…
(Kannondu…)

Your eyes are vocal yet silent
As endearing parrots chirp from afar
Lips that whispered rings in the heart
As sweet sounds from a parrot near
On the branches of the Fig tree
A parakeet couple copulated hey hoi
Cupid’s chariot descended from heavens
Rains too joined in this revelry

Gaze from your eyes are vocal yet silent
As endearing parrots chirp from afar
Lips that whispered rings in the heart
As sweet sounds from a parrot near

Aattirampum poovarampum.. hoy..
Aattirampum poovarampum veeshum kaattin kaathil etho
Kaaryam chollee melle..
Aarthu peythu aadyaanuraagam..
Meettumetho paattennapole..
Ey…aa malayil ee malayil aadimukil odivarum
Ee puzhaye thedumoru kannippennaay..
Mazha nilaavu poyka pole..
Thinkal etho thoni pole..
(Kannondu..)

The edges of the muddy flower, flirts with the fringes of river hoi
The edges of the muddy flower, flirts with the fringes of river
And in the ears of blowing breeze
Seem to murmur in hush…
An indifferent tone of the first crush
Set to a melodious tune unbeknownst
The wandering clouds dancing between the hills,
Came searching for this rivulet, to transform into a damsel
The rain drenched moon (alluding to the lover’s heart in commotion), a lake look alike
With the sun, like a dangling ferry drifting in there hmmm

Your eyes are vocal yet silent
As endearing parrots chirp from afar
Lips that whispered rings in the heart
As sweet sounds from a parrot near

Orthathenthe…kaathathenthe..
Orthathenthe…kaathathenthe…
Allippolthaamare ninte
Chundil thenoorave…
Aarkkuvendi kaathorthu ninnu
Raavurangaatheeran nilaave..
Ey aa kadvil ee kadavil aalumoru thoni tharum
Ee puzhayilaakeyoru thanneer thaalam..
Ore kinaavil veena pole
Ozhuki engo pona pole…
(Kannondu..)

Why did you reminisce…Or stood back
Why did you reminisce…Or stood back
Hey you lotus lipped babe
Lotus just drips with honey
You stood back in eagerness with all ears for whom
As the sun’s doze is about to end, hey moon!
Between the shores of this river,
The ferry gives a lone rhythm between,
It is like drowning in the same trance
And flowing far away in unison

Your eyes are vocal yet silent
As endearing parrots chirp from afar
Lips that whispered rings in the heart
As sweet sounds from a parrot near

18 thoughts on “Kannondu Chollanu- You natter with your gaze”

      1. The male gaze is a concept coined by feminist film critic Laura Mulvey. It refers to the way visual arts are structured around a masculine viewer. It describes the tendency in visual culture to depict the world and women from a masculine point of view and in terms of men’s attitudes.[1][2]

        The male gaze consists of three different gazes:[3][4]

        that of the person behind the camera,
        that of the characters within the representation or film itself, and
        that of the spectator….but i do believe in female gaze..my M.A thesis ..it was almost my argument regarding female gaze…thatb male body is also a source of visual pleasure.it can be objectified…passing referencve on to Meena Kandaswamy,Kamala Das and Indian movies…

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        1. thanks for the information. I have read Meena Kandasamy’s works and her opinion too, however female gaze is still not mainstream unlike say that of a male gaze and angst…never understood why a spurned male lover behaves the way he does and romanticised in popular literature like Devadas. I did not elaborate it on my opinion about Premam, but has been something close to my heart…probably posts in future will dwell into it.

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            1. i am not against female gaze, my only crib is, it is considered still a taboo and not mainstream…for example a movie called Vaali had a theme of a bro in law leching his sister in law, his bro’s wife! while it did receive criticism, it did not receive the same level of outrage when a similarly themed movie with the roles reversed although not banned, faced exaggerated reaction…

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              1. lets think about the anal melai song from the movie Varanam Aayiram…the camera many a times zero ins at the six pack,semi nude body of Surya…the nudity ,erotica portrayed almost deploys and objectifies the male body. female gaze is the point where a male body gets objectified,it is being viewed,it is pleasurable and enjoyed.in male gaze,the male eyes views the female body with almost like an eye candy..similarly male body can also be viewed….both men and women can only be objects….men enjoy gazing at women(male gaze)…similarly women enjoy the male body(female gaze)..simpleee…….in Vaali the theme is almost a power struggle between one dominating bro and the other one being subverted….all these are my personal opinions..either u agree or disagree

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                1. Hi Navya,
                  Am not saying that female gaze is non existent and definitely not a prude to consider it as taboo. Since we live very much in a patriarchal society as opposed to a feminist society (which should be the ideal), the “legitimacy” of such female sexuality is not given. Gautam not entirely a feminist director, but given a very limited scope in Tamil cinema to explore such feminist perspective, has tried to lend dignity to women characters who have had failed marriages or relationships, in his films. The example you sighted is from his movie, so it is still an exception than a rule.
                  To reiterate we have not reached a stage where a woman expressing her sexuality is viewed as “normal” , instead will be slut shamed for her “shameful” expression. Often times, director has to come with very innovative narrative technique to make it seem less slutty, like an erotic song placed in wedding night sequence.The victim blaming is one aspect of such mindset, which we encounter when any rape case comes to limelight in the media.
                  At the most biological level, sensual gaze is as natural as perhaps breathing. But there is a social construct, which sets limits or rule,on the transgressions, based on the sex of the individual. In that case, it reinforces strict gender roles. A male hero watching porn in his youth or masturbating is considered as a “normal” phase of growing up , while ‘am yet to see such legitimacy given to girls who would want to explore their sexuality and bodily changes at their adolescence. Hope you are able to appreciate this point of mine.
                  Anyways thanks for your replies, which has been quite entertaining and most importantly educative.

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                  1. i agree dear….The man|woman dichotomy is very much there…myself being a woman…i am born as a female…the scientific being..but the society attributed certain qualities,restrictions and whole lot of limitations and they made me a ‘woman’

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