| Thamarai | |
| Birth Place: | Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Birth Date: | 1965 11, df=yes |
| Occupation: | Lyricist, poet, journalist |
| Years Active: | 1997–present |
| Works: | Full list |
| Alma Mater: | Government College of Technology, Coimbatore |
| Spouse: | Thozhar Thiyagu |
| Children: | 1 |
| Awards: | Full list |
| Nationality: | Indian |
Thamarai (born 10 November 1965) is an Indian poet and lyricist who writes in Tamil. She is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world and has worked in Tamil cinema.[1]
She made her debut in the Tamil film industry through the 1998 film Iniyavale, which was directed by Seeman and had music composed by Deva.
Thamarai was born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on 10 November 1965. She graduated from Government College of Technology, Coimbatore, in production engineering and worked for six years in Coimbatore. With her passion for poetry, she decided to move to Chennai, where she worked as a freelance journalist in an organization named Bhagya and wrote essays, stories and poems.[2] Through her literary works, she became popular and got noticed. Director Seeman assigned her as lyricist for the song "Thendral Enthan" for his Tamil film Iniyavale.[3] Subsequently, she wrote lyrics for films such as Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen ("Malligai Poove") and Thenali ("Injirango Injirango"). Her work together with music director Harris Jayaraj in Minnale marked the turning point in her film industry career, primarily noted for her song "Vaseegara" in the movie.
After Minnale, the trio, composed of director Gautham Vasudev Menon and music director Harris Jayaraj, teamed up several times again (Kaakha Kaakha, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, Pachaikili Muthucharam and Vaaranam Aayiram) and were a very successful collaboration in the film field, until the break-up between Menon and Jayaraj happened. Since then, she is teaming up with A. R. Rahman, who replaced Jayaraj. Menon, Jayaraj and Thamarai teamed up again in July 2014 for the Ajith Kumar film Yennai Arindhaal. The film's album was released on 1 January 2015, and it was well-received by critics.[4] [5] She wrote" Neeraambal Poovae" from the movie Nannbenda, where she again worked for Harris Jayaraj. The song is sung by Arjun Menon.
Thamarai is married to Thozhar Thiyagu. They have a son. Thamarai is a vegan and an advocate of animal rights.[6]
See main article: Thamarai filmography.