Legendary lyricist ‘Kavignar’ Vaali, who achieved the unimaginable feat of competing with the iconic Kannadasan, that too with a fair bit of success, passed away on Thursday after a heart attack. Down with health problems, Vaali had been hospitalised for nearly a month. He was 81 and is survived by a son.
Evocative and conforming to classical aesthetics while catering to popular taste, the bearded lyricist’s lucid compositions earned him a top place in the Tamil film industry. From the era of radio to the idiot box and YouTube, he continues to be a smash hit as they have contributed, in no small measure, to the popular image of beauty and love. It may be asserted with some certainty that Vaali’s longevity of close to six decades in the Tamil film-song writing arena may never be matched. With his ability to adapt to different generations of music directors as well as the changing contours of Tamil cinema, Vaali remained the most sought-after lyricist since Kannadasan.