Mourning the death of the Tamil cinema's renowned lyricist Vaali, Thamarai says his work will never fade with time and his songs will remain eternal.
Vaali, 82, passed away Thursday due to respiratory problem in a private hospital here.
"It's a big loss for our industry. So many legends have passed in the past few months. Vaali sir will always be remembered for his work. Time can take him away, but definitely not his songs, which will remain eternal," Thamarai, a lyricist, told IANS.
"Some songs are popular during a time period. People listen to these songs for a while and then move on. But, the songs Vaali sir has given us are not time bound," she added.
Thamarai, who has written several chartbusters such as "Anul Maley Pani Thuli" and "Kangal Irandhal", says it would be almost impossible to find Vaali's heir-apparent.
"We have so many wonderful lyricists now, but I doubt if any of us could even replace Vaali sir. It's not about the number of songs he has written, but the number of lives he has touched with his words," she said.
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Thamarai recalls Vaali as an octogenarian with a heart of a 20-year old.
"He was a teenager at heart. His age was just a number, but seldom did it have an effect on his work. He could write songs that would even impress today's teenager who might be exposed to western music and Bollywood," she said.
Vaali most recent hit songs include "Sonapareeya" from Tamil romantic-drama "Maryan", which released Friday and recently released song called "Ethir Neechal" and "Velicha Poove" from Tamil romantic-comedy "Ethir Neechal".
In a career spanning over five decades, Vaali has penned lyrics to over 10,000 songs. Some of his evergreen hits include "Thottal Poo Malurum", "Naan Aanai Ittal", "Moondrezhuthil Yen Moochirukkum" and "Puthiya Vaanam, Puthiya Boomi".