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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Rendu Raaja

From Naane Varuvean · 2022

Lyricist
Dhanush
Singer
Dhanush
Music director
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Details
Naane Varuvean2022

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Orey oru… oorukkullaeIn a single town,
Rendu raaja irundhaaraamThere were once two kings, it is said.
Oru raaja nallavaraamOne king was good, they say,
Innoru raaja kettavaraamThe other king was bad, they say.
Male
Orey oru… oorukkullaeIn a single town,
Rendu raaja irundhaaraamThere were once two kings, it is said.
Oru raaja nallavaraamOne king was good, they say,
Innoru raaja kettavaraamThe other king was bad, they say.
Male
Paambukullum visham unduEven a snake possesses poison,
Poovukkullum visham unduEven a flower possesses poison,
Poovai thalaiyil soodiduvaarPeople adorn their hair with the flower,
Paambai paarthadhum adithiduvar…But as soon as they see the snake, they strike it down...
Male
Orey oru… oorukkullaeIn a single town,
Rendu raja irundhaaraamThere were once two kings, it is said.
Oru raaja nallavaraamOne king was good, they say,
Innoru raaja kettavaraam….The other king was bad, they say...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This excerpt uses a traditional fable-like storytelling narrative to explore the themes of duality, morality, and social bias. By narrating the tale of two kings—one good and one evil—living in the same town, the song establishes the core conflict of twin personalities or opposing forces existing in the same realm.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Fable Framing / Narrational Repetition

Orey oru… oorukkullae / Rendu raaja irundhaaraam

The recurring refrain sets up a traditional Tamil oral storytelling rhythm ('irundhaaraam', 'nallavaraam'), echoing how bedtime stories and folklore are told.

Antithesis / Contrast (Ethirsol)

Oru raaja nallavaraam / Innoru raaja kettavaraam

Directly juxtaposes moral opposites ('nallavaraam' vs 'kettavaraam') to underline the central dual-identity premise.

Parallelism and Analogy

Paambukullum visham undu / Poovukkullum visham undu

Compares two contrasting objects of nature (a snake and a flower) showing both hold poison ('visham undu'), questioning human hypocrisy in accepting one while destroying the other.

End Rhyme (Iyaibu)

Rendu raaja irundhaaraam / Oru raaja nallavaraam

The rhythmic suffix '-aam' at the end of consecutive lines creates harmonic sound alignment typical of Tamil folk songs.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written and sung by Dhanush himself for his film 'Naane Varuvean' (2022), the lyrics directly foreshadow the movie's plot, in which Dhanush plays dual roles as twin brothers—one good (Prabhu) and one psychopathic evil (Kathir).

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