- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singers
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Chorus
- Music director
- Chandrabose
- Movie name
- Sonthakkaran
- Movie release year
- 1989
- Lyrics added on
- 30 Apr 2021
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a lively, romantic, and playful duet/soliloquy in which the protagonist playfully teases his lover. He metaphorically compares her to a silk-clad maina bird and a lively fish leaping into a fishing net, questioning who is truly catching whom in this game of romance. He boasts of his romantic confidence while emphasizing that a true life is meaningless without love, women, and companionship.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Pattu sattai pottu vantha mainaa / Unna thottu thottu pesaporaan nainaa”
Matching end sounds in Tamil poetry creating rhythmic cadence, seen in 'mainaa', 'nainaa', 'meenaa', and 'naanaa'.
Metaphor (Uruvagaim)
“Thulli thulli vanthirukkum meenaa meenaa / Thoondililae sikka vantha meenaa”
Addressing the beloved as a maina bird wearing a silk shirt and a leaping fish caught on a hook.
Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi)
“Mannil nindru kondu antha vinnil oru thottam amaippaen”
Exaggeration of capabilities to show grand confidence in love, such as building a garden in the sky from earth.
Adukku Thodar (Repetition for Emphasis)
“Unna thottu thottu pesaporaan nainaa”
Using repeated words sequentially ('thottu thottu', 'thulli thulli') to add musical rhythm and sensory detail.
Did you know?
Trivia
Sonthakkaran (1989) is an Indian Tamil action-drama film directed by L. Raja, starring Arjun Sarja and Seetha. The soundtrack for the film was composed by Chandrabose, with lyrics written by Vairamuthu.
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