- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singer
- Vani Jairam
- Music director
- Sankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Revathi
- Movie release year
- 1986
- Lyrics added on
- 19 Jul 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song presents a seductive yet tragic interior monologue of a female dancer/entertainer. On the surface, she plays her expected role—flirting, promising affection, and putting on a musical show for money without hesitation. She ironically refers to herself as a 'Sithini' (one of the four traditional categories of women according to classical Indian texts, known for beauty and skill) and asserts her inner purity ('Pathini') despite lacking societal status, marriage, or protection.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Dhinai meththai melae viththai sollum / Sithini naan thaane”
The second consonant 'th' sound in 'Dhinai/meththai/viththai' creates rhythmic harmony across lines.
Iyaipu (End Rhyme)
“Sondhangal bandhangal maari pochu / Kaalathin kolathil kannerraachu”
The line endings 'pochu' and 'aachu' rhyme to emphasize the tragic shift in her life.
Metaphor
“Rosappu ippodu mullagi pochu”
Comparing herself to a rose that turned into a thorn symbolizes how harsh circumstances hardened her gentle personality.
Irony
“Oru thaali illa vaeli illa / Pathini naan thaanae”
She calls herself a 'Pathini' (a chaste, ideal wife) while explicitly acknowledging she lacks a 'thaali' (marriage thread) or 'vaeli' (protective boundary), highlighting social irony.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by renowned lyricist Vaali for the 1986 film 'Revathi', the song follows a classic Tamil cinema trope of using a lively dance/cabaret number to deliver a deeply tragic backstory about the performer's fallen social status and heartbreak.
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