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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Barota Barota

From Vandicholai Chinraasu · 1994

Lyricist
Na. Kamarasan
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Vandicholai Chinraasu1994

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Ada kondaiyam kottaHey girl with a hair bun,
Morattu pullaFeisty girl,
En kuda vaadi karambu thingaCome with me to eat sugarcane!
Kullanchavadi santhai pakkamTowards the Kullanchavadi market side,
Nama koothu paapom endi vetkamWe shall watch the street play, why be shy?
Female
Parotta parottaParotta, parotta,
Na kuthum parottaThe parotta that I knead!
Male :Parotta parottaMale: Parotta, parotta,
Nee kuthum parottaThe parotta that you knead!
Malaipol velaiya ithuIs this mountain-sized work,
Diana vecha kadaiyaA shop set up by Diana?
Female
Ennai thalaiyalagaO headman of beauty,
Eluthaani mukalagaO sharp tip of the stylus,
Kannu vacha karupalagaO dark handsome man who caught my eye!
Arisi paruppu velaya vachaeBy selling rice and lentils at high prices,
Naa aagasathaiyae vangiduvenI will buy the sky itself!
Male
Parotta parottaParotta, parotta,
Ithu seema vella parottaThis is fine foreign white parotta!
Female :Kappala kallu vandhuFemale: Getting stones brought by ship,
Kallu vachu adupu senjuBuilding a hearth out of those stones,
Parotta naa potaaIf I make parotta,
Vellakaran vanthu nippan yaaEven a foreigner will come and stand in queue!
Female
Mm…mmm..mm…mmm..Mm…mmm..mm…mmm..
Mm…mm….mmm…mmm..Mm…mm….mmm…mmm..
Male
Utchi kudumi ellaamAll topknot hairstyles,
Vacha nalla crapaachuHave turned into stylish crop cuts now!
Ottu komanam ellaamAll patched loincloths,
Satta thuniya maariyachuHave changed into shirts and tailored clothes!
Male
Tharkuri keeral ellaamAll illiterate scribbles,
Tamizh eluthaai aayipochuHave turned into proper written Tamil!
Naagarigam vanthathaalaeBecause modern civilization arrived,
Nadapu ellaam usanthu pochuThe standard of living has elevated!
Aadi varum un idupuYour waist swaying as you walk,
Noola pola siruthirukaHas slimmed down like a thread!
Thedi varum un kadaiyilIn your shop that people seek out,
Yaanai vela ethukkammaWhy set elephant-sized huge prices, my dear?
Female
Ennai thalaiyalagaO headman of beauty,
Eluthaani mukalagaO sharp tip of the stylus,
Kannu vacha karupalagaO dark handsome man who caught my eye!
Arisi paruppu velaya vachaeBy selling rice and lentils at high prices,
Naa aagasathaiyae vangiduvenI will buy the sky itself!
Male
Parotta parottaParotta, parotta,
Ithu seema vella parottaThis is fine foreign white parotta!
Female :Kappala kallu vandhuFemale: Getting stones brought by ship,
Kallu vachu adupu senjuBuilding a hearth out of those stones,
Parotta naa potaaIf I make parotta,
Vellakaran vanthu nippan yaaEven a foreigner will come and stand in queue!
Female
Yaa…(8)Yaa…(8)
Male
Diana dianaDiana diana
Da da da da diana dianaDa da da da diana diana
Female
Mm…mmm..mm…mmm..Mm…mmm..mm…mmm..
Mm…mm….mmm…mmm..Mm…mm….mmm…mmm..
Mm…mmm..mm…mmm..Mm…mmm..mm…mmm..
Mm…mm….mmm…mmm..Mm…mm….mmm…mmm..
Female
Palla palla elichuGrinning with all their teeth showing,
Kattatadatha suthurangaThey wander around under-construction buildings!
Overtime vela senjumEven after working overtime,
Oc beedi kudikirangaThey smoke free borrowed beedis!
Female
Veetukari irukaWhile having a wife at home,
Veliya vanthu aaduraangaThey step outside and indulge in foolish antics!
Thaali powuna vithuSelling the sacred gold wedding chain,
Thanniyaiyum adikurangaThey spend it all on drinking alcohol!
Pallathula vizhunthavangaThose who fell into a deep pit,
Pallanguliku anjuraangaFear even a tiny board-game hole!
Parijatha poovirukaWhile having a fragrant night-flowering jasmine,
Patamaratha suthurangaThey go around a dry dead tree!
Male
Kondaiyam kottaHey girl with a hair bun,
Morattu pullaFeisty girl,
En kuda vaadi karambu thingaCome with me to eat sugarcane!
Kullanchavadi santhai pakkamTowards the Kullanchavadi market side,
Nama koothu paapom endi vetkamWe shall watch the street play, why be shy?
Female
Parotta parottaParotta, parotta,
Na kuthum parottaThe parotta that I knead!
Male :Parotta parottaMale: Parotta, parotta,
Nee kuthum parottaThe parotta that you knead!
Malaipol velaiya ithuIs this mountain-sized work,
Diana vecha kadaiyaA shop set up by Diana?
Female
Kondaiyam kottaHey girl with a hair bun,
Morattu pullaFeisty girl,
Un kuda varen karambu thingaI will come with you to eat sugarcane!
Kullanchavadi santhai pakkamTowards the Kullanchavadi market side,
Nama koothu paapom pochu vetkamWe shall watch the street play, shyness is gone!
Male
Parotta parottaParotta, parotta,
Ithu seema vella parottaThis is fine foreign white parotta!
Female :Kappala kallu vandhuFemale: Getting stones brought by ship,
Kallu vachu adupu senjuBuilding a hearth out of those stones,
Parotta naa potaaIf I make parotta,
Vellakaran vanthu nippan yaaEven a foreigner will come and stand in queue!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Parotta Parotta from Vandicholai Chinraasu (1994) is a lively, rhythmic folk-pop duet featuring playful banter and social satire between the main lead characters. Set around rural market life and food stalls, the characters exchange witty commentary on modernity, rising commodity prices, and local lifestyle changes while flirting over simple regional pleasures like eating sugarcane and visiting village street theater (koothu). The song serves as a humorous critique of changing social dynamics—contrasting traditional village ways with modern influences while calling out irresponsible behaviors like drinking, gambling, and neglecting family responsibilities. Lyricist Na. Kamarasan weaves sharp Tamil proverbs, rural slang, and playful metaphors into a high-energy track composed by A. R. Rahman.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai)

Noola pola siruthiruka

Compares the thinness of her waist to a delicate thread ('nool').

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi)

Yaanai vela ethukkamma

Exaggerates prices to the size of an elephant ('yaanai vela') and buying the entire sky with shop profits.

Ethukai (Second-letter Rhyming)

Pallathula vizhunthavanga / Pallanguliku anjuraanga

The second letters 'll' in 'Pallathula' and 'Pallanguliku' rhyme across adjacent lines.

Metaphor / Contrast (Uruvagam)

Parijatha pooviruka / Patamaratha suthuranga

Metaphorically compares a faithful wife to a fragrant jasmine flower ('parijatha poo') and outside distractions to a dead tree ('patamaram').

Did you know?

Trivia

Vandicholai Chinraasu (1994) starred Sathyaraj and Sukanya, with a soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman during his early, highly innovative period following his blockbuster debut in 1992. The song incorporates traditional Tamil street theater culture (Koothu) references alongside modern folk rhythm patterns.

Keep listening

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