Song for the New Year: ‘Ilamai Itho Itho’, the tune Chennai parties to as the clock strikes midnight

Ilamai Itho Itho

SP Balasubrahmanyam

This is my pick for a song for the new year – for no other reason than the fact that it is pretty much the only Tamil song with the words “Happy New Year” in it. Yes, it really just boils down to that.

If you are at any New Year’s gathering in Chennai, chances are this track will start playing at the stroke of midnight. The song is from the 1982 film Sakalakala Vallavan, in which the hero played by Kamal Haasan appears in numerous disguises, all in an attempt to take revenge against a landlord who harms his sister. In the section where the song appears, we see a young Kamal Haasan strut his stuff, singing about how the college girls only have eyes for him and welcoming the new year with a disco groove.