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Mananthal Mahadevan album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Oralukku Othapakkam

From Mananthal Mahadevan · 1989

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
Mano, Malaysia Vasudevan
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Movie name
Mananthal Mahadevan
Movie release year
1989
Lyrics added on
12 May 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
…………….
Oralukku oththapakkam
Thavulukku rendu pakkam
Male :Aahaa
Male :Aiyyaa un thittaththaalae
Adi vaangu thavila polae
Oho
Male :Podaathe thappu kanakku
Un oruththanukingae
Ponjaathi rendu edhukku
Ada rosang ketta payalae
Oralukku oththapakkam
Thavulukku rendu pakkam
Aiyyaa un thittaththaalae
Adi vaangu thavila polae
Podaathe thappu kanakku
Un oruththanukingae
Ponjaathi rendu edhukku
Ada rosang ketta payalae
Oralukku oththapakkam
Thavulukku rendu pakkam
Male :Haei
Male :Aiyyaa un thittaththaalae
Adi vaangu thavila polae
Mappillae
Male :Machchan
Thaenukkulla vaasam konda
Meenukkullae yaedhu
Thaaram konda nesam vanthu
Serum thunaiyil yaedhu
Koolikku vantha ponnu
Kaagitha poova polae
Thaalikku vantha ponnu
Thaamara poovapola
Kovamum thaabamum
Kudumbaththil irunthidanum
Adadaa veedhikku yaen vanthu
Vilambaram aagidanum
Oralukku oththapakkam
Thavulukku rendu pakkam
Male :Mappillae
Male :Aiyyaa un thittaththaalae
Adi vaangu thavila polae
Podaathe thappu kanakku
Un oruththanukingae
Ponjaathi rendu edhukku
Ada rosang ketta payalae
Oralukku oththapakkam
Thavulukku rendu pakkam
Aiyyaa un thittaththaalae
Adi vaangu thavila polae
Yaei….ennaachchu un potti ippa
Edhukku unakku vetti hoi
Yaendaa unakku veembu ippo
Kaala suththuthu paambu
Kattilthaan road-la pottu
Paadiyathenna paattu
Ellaarkkum nallaa theriyum
Neeyoru veththuvettu
Mappillae….
Mappilla manipilla
Nenachchathu nadakkalaiyae
Male :Aiyyaa
Male :Oorenna uravenna
Oruththanum madhikkallaiyae
Oralukku oththapakkam
Thavulukku rendu pakkam
Aiyyaa un thittaththaalae
Adi vaangu thavila polae
Oralukku oththapakkam
Thavulukku rendu pakkam
Aiyyaa un thittaththaalae
Adi vaangu thavila polae
...
A mortar gets hit on one side,
But a drum gets beaten on both sides!
Aha!
Mister, thanks to your clever plans,
Now take beatings just like a drum!
Oho!
Don't make the wrong calculations!
For one single man like you,
Why do you need two wives here?
You shameless rascal!
A mortar gets hit on one side,
But a drum gets beaten on both sides!
Mister, thanks to your clever plans,
Now take beatings just like a drum!
Don't make the wrong calculations!
For one single man like you,
Why do you need two wives here?
You shameless rascal!
A mortar gets hit on one side,
But a drum gets beaten on both sides!
Hey!
Mister, thanks to your clever plans,
Now take beatings just like a drum!
Dear groom!
Brother-in-law!
Can a fish ever have the sweet scent
That is found inside pure honey?
Can the deep love of a lawful wife
Ever be found in a casual companion?
A woman who arrives for money
Is just like a lifeless paper flower,
While the woman wed with the thaali (sacred marriage thread)
Is like a blooming lotus flower!
Anger and bitter frustration
Must be kept within the family;
Oh why should it spill onto the street
And turn into a public spectacle?
A mortar gets hit on one side,
But a drum gets beaten on both sides!
Dear groom!
Mister, thanks to your clever plans,
Now take beatings just like a drum!
Don't make the wrong calculations!
For one single man like you,
Why do you need two wives here?
You shameless rascal!
A mortar gets hit on one side,
But a drum gets beaten on both sides!
Mister, thanks to your clever plans,
Now take beatings just like a drum!
Hey... what happened to your rivalry now?
Why all this useless swagger, hoy!
Why act so stubborn now
When a snake is coiling around your feet?
Dragging a cot right onto the street,
What kind of song were you singing?
Everyone knows very well
That you are just a useless braggart!
Dear groom...
O prized groom, the golden boy,
Nothing you planned came true!
Mister!
Neither this whole town nor your kin,
Not a single person respects you now!
A mortar gets hit on one side,
But a drum gets beaten on both sides!
Mister, thanks to your clever plans,
Now take beatings just like a drum!
A mortar gets hit on one side,
But a drum gets beaten on both sides!
Mister, thanks to your clever plans,
Now take beatings just like a drum!
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song 'Oralukku Oththapakkam' from the 1989 Tamil film 'Mananthal Mahadevan' is a comedic, satirical commentary on a man suffering the self-inflicted consequences of bigamy and reckless marital schemes. Using sharp Tamil folk proverbs, the lyricist Vaali compares a man with two wives to a 'thavil' (a traditional percussion instrument beaten on both heads), in contrast to an 'oral' (a grinding mortar with only one opening). The protagonist's folly in trying to manage two wives results in constant conflict from both sides.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai Ani)

Adi vaangu thavila polae

Compares the protagonist getting caught between two opposing forces to a thavil drum being struck from both sides.

Metaphor / Contrast

Kaagitha poova polae ... Thaamara poovapola

Contrasts a superficial, money-driven companion (paper flower) with a devoted wedded wife (blooming lotus flower).

Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyming)

Koolikku vantha ponnu / Thaalikku vantha ponnu

The second letter 'li' (லி) rhymes in both lines, creating a rhythmic folk flow.

Did you know?

Trivia

The film 'Mananthal Mahadevan' (1989) features music by the duo Shankar-Ganesh and lyrics by legendary poet Vaali. Known for its rural comedy elements, the song relies heavily on traditional Tamil folk metaphors and proverbs to deliver moral advice through lighthearted satire.

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