- Lyricist
- Yuwaji
- Singers
- Shameshan Mani Maran, Jack
- Music director
- Shameshan Mani Maran
- Movie name
- Sughamaai Subbulakshmi
- Movie release year
- 2018
- Lyrics added on
- 28 Apr 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
The song 'Seithaan Nanban' from Sughamaai Subbulakshmi is a humorous yet poignant lament of a young man who feels deeply betrayed by his best friend. The moment his friend enters a romantic relationship, he abandons their lifelong camaraderie, ignores him like a stranger, and throws away their bond like trash. The narrator sarcastically details his sacrifices—from sharing chicken pieces to standing by him through blood and sweat—only to be discarded for love. Through vivid everyday analogies such as a windblown hut and a collapsed bridge, the song conveys the heartbreak of lost male friendship, using a clever play on words where 'Seithaan' functions both as 'he did it/betrayed me' and 'Satan'.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Double Entendre / Pun (Siledai)
“Seithaan seithaan / Seithaan nanban”
The word 'Seithaan' plays on two meanings in Tamil: 'he did it/tricked me' (seithaan) and 'Satan/Devil' (Saithan).
Simile (Upamai)
“Kizhinji pona paper-ah / Paranthu ponavan”
Compares the friend's sudden departure to a torn piece of paper blowing away in the wind.
Simile (Upamai)
“Kaaththu veesi / Saainju poona kudisai pola maarinen”
Compares the speaker's emotional ruin to a fragile hut collapsing when hit by strong winds.
Simile (Upamai)
“Sarinji pona paalam pola / Udanju pochi nenjamae”
Compares the speaker's broken heart to a bridge that has collapsed.
Did you know?
Trivia
The song uses colloquial youth urban slang ('chicken piece', 'touch-u ponathae', 'love-u vanthathum') to capture the authentic banter and grief of modern college-age friendships in Tamil Nadu.
Keep listening
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