What differentiates Indian weddings from that of the western counterparts is the complexity that’s involved in wrapping up one. It isn’t a walk down the park (or aisle) and exchanging rings in a silent place of worship but a collage of different customs and traditions that comes together in the form of ‘controlled chaos’ where the fun and frolic starts even before the sun gets to work and goes on till the moon hides beyond the horizon. Indian weddings are known for its colours, culture, drama, emotions and of course…. food. But something else that’s inbred in us is the custom of singing and dancing. Right from a person’s birth in the form of thalaatu to one’s death in the form of oppari, songs have always been a part of our tradition and whenever good or bad happens, there’s always a song that could elevate that mood to a whole new level. Weddings, especially the ones in our sub-continent, are nothing without songs and dance. So here’s my list of the 20 best Tamil songs that captures the emotions of everyone involved in an Indian wedding. So here we go with the list, or should I say getti melam getti melam.
- Vaarayo Thozhi Vaarayo – Pasamalar (1961)
Let’s kick-start with a classic. The Sivaji starrer Pasamalar is an ode to brother-sister sentiment and the song personifies the joy of the bridesmaids who welcome the bride by preparing her to to be a wife
https://youtu.be/NQzGsG7Ru8w
- Poomazhai Thoovi Vasantham – Ninaithadhai Mudippavan (1975)
Yet another one from the classics’ vault and this time its from the other legend of Tamil cinema, MGR. In this song, he plays a band master who’s performing for a wedding in the hopes of one day getting his sister married off the same way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csBahBsXvaA
- Nooru Varusham – Panakkaran (1990)
And of course, no list can be complete without a Rajinikanth reference in it. Here’s a song from Panakkaran in which the man himself gives an idea of how a wedding can be successful irrespective of how the couple can be poles apart in nature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6IWIJSnotg
- Yaaro Yaarodi – Alaipayuthey (2000)
Here’s the first of many from the list of Mani Ratnam’s films. Our hero Maddy goes to a friend’s village style wedding where he watches the girl he’ll fall madly in love with for the first time. After all, a wedding is where many more falls in place.
- Idhu Dhaana – Saamy (2oo3)
What would run in the mind of a girl who’s brought up in an orthodox family when she gets engaged to a person she adores? When words fail, dreams become vivid and lively and this song captures that emotion in a beautiful manner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv_zz322gFk
- Nenachapadi – Kadhalar Dinam (1999)
A textbook example of a dance sequence in a wedding is this song from one of the best albums Tamil cinema has ever produced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JSIBwxrS4Y
- Athan Varuvaga – Dumm Dumm Dumm (2001)
An Indian wedding can be synonymous with any word in the dictionary minus ‘perfectly co-ordinated’. Something will definitely go wrong and that’s when our brains work overtime to improvise and make things work. Here’s a song that captures the beauty of mishaps that are bound to happen in every wedding.
- Keda Kari – Raavanan (2010)
A second from the works of Mani Ratnam. Weddings that happen in cities and villages are completely in contrast and obviously, the latter, thought might lack in grandeur, makes up to it with sheer volume of the people in attendance and the joy they bring to the table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX5n89-PQqw
- Kummi Adi Song – Sillunu Oru Kadhal (2006)
Not all marriages begin with a happy couple. Sometimes, there’s a past that fights to be not buried in the depths of our memory and sometimes, there are chances that an arranged marriage with someone we barely know can shroud us in a cloud of mysteries on what future beholds for us. After all, a life can only be lived for it to be experienced.
- Kummi Adi – Chellamae (2004)
The way a bride gets treated on the day of her wedding is a treat to the eyes. Couple that with the antics of the couples’ friends and that’s the recipe for a day that can never be forgotten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OZRBHcbWco
- Anicham Poovazhagi song from Thaandavam (2012)
When a RAW officer gets forced to visit a village in the name of ‘finding a girl’, his preset notion doesn’t allow him to think out of the box. But isn’t a wedding an event full of surprises?
- America Yendralum – Santhosh Subramaniam (2008)
Love marriage versus arranged marriage is a debate that’s yet to be settled and what more can be a better place for youngsters and their parents to go on a poetic debate over what’s better than in an actual wedding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLXXT8u2urg
- Annanoda Pattu – Chandramukhi (2005)
Rajini is back in this peppy number where afthe couple gets a plethora of advice on how to lead their marriage life. Throw in some quirky moves and it’s a sure shot dance bonanza.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgijbxeAQCk
- Adhaaru Adhaaru – Yennai Arindhaal (2015)
Weddings don’t have to be a grand affair. What if the groom isn’t a techie from a rich family but a gangster who’s on the run with no one but his fellow work-mates for company? It can still be a day to remember if done right and this song shows how its done.
- Anbil Avan – Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010)
You’re meeting your ex after eons and you figure out that the other person is still single and still got ‘the feel’ for you. That’s something you don’t want to miss and you grab that moment. There’s no time to get back home nor call families. It’s just the couple for themselves but who else do they need to get married? 😛
- Kattikida munne – Kaaki Sattai (2015)
The moment of joy when a wedding get finalised with the one you love is a pleasure that can’t be described in words. But looks like songs can do that trick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3N-jZTXn7k
- Kannan Varum Velai – Deepavali (2007)
What better way can a girl express the joy of getting hitched that a song?
- Thodakkam Mangalyan – Bangalore Naatkal (2016)
Of course, families and relatives play a major role in a wedding but what about friends or cousins who you consider as your besties? An event in the family isn’t complete without them and here’s what happens when they all come together.
- Idicha Pacharasi – Uthamaputhiran (2010)
The joy of getting married to someone you love is a special feel. When families come together as a way to respect that decision from your end, things can only get better.
- Sarattu Vandile – Kaatru Veliyidai (2017)
Finishing of with yet another Mani Ratnam flick. Colours play a major role in Indian weddings and couple that with some toe-tapping numbers and you have the perfect track for a perfect wedding.
And so here’s the list of my favourite Tamil wedding songs. This list can indeed be huge thanks to the splendid collection our tradition and cinema has showered us with but I’m sticking to 20 of them. If you think a song has to make its way to this list, do comment and let me know 🙂
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