It was adapted into a screenplay by S. L. Puram Sadanandan, directed by Ramu Kariat, and produced by Babu Ismail Sait under the banner Kanmani Films.

The film stars Sheela as Karuthamma, Sathyan as Palani, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair as Chembankunju, and Madhu as Pareekutty.

The film tells the story of a pre-marital and later extra-marital relationship between Karuthamma, the daughter of an ambitious fisherman, and Pareekutty, the son of an affluent trader.

The theme of the film is a popular legend among the fishermen communities along the coastal Kerala State in southern India regarding chastity.

It is usually cited as the first notable creative film in South India and is one of the popular cult classics in Malayalam cinema.

Following the marriage, Karuthamma accompanies her husband to his village, despite her mother's sudden illness and her father's requests to stay.

Pappikunju's son, unable to bear the constant humiliation by Panchami, decides to leave in search of a better life.

Palani initially trusts his wife, but due to the constant vile talk by the villagers, seeds of doubt start to get sown in his mind.

But some people at Purakkad demanded rent for their boats, forcing Kariat to shift the location to Nattika, a place he was familiar with.

The Akhila Kerala Deevara Sabha, an association of fisherfolk, alleged that the movie is the origin for all the insults that the community has faced over the years.

Dheevara Sabha general secretary and ex-MLA V. Dinakaran told The News Minute that Malayalam cinema and serials for the last many decades have intentionally portrayed fisherfolk as "uncultured".

I was shocked to see how the movie projected false stories of our community.”[15] Chemmeen is a landmark in Indian cinema not just for its immersive storytelling, but additionally because it is a truly all-India project, its credits serving as a roll call of cross-country icons: cinematographer Marcus Bartley, Hrishikesh Mukherjee as editor, and music by Salil Chowdhury making his Malayalam debut here with a soundtrack featuring singers K. J. Yesudas, P. Leela and several other artistes, including, for one song, Manna Dey.

[15] In March 2019, C. S. Venkiteswaran of The Hindu wrote, "Omnipotent and omnipresent like the sea is the presence of the milieu; never before has the life of fisherfolk in all its beauty and misery been portrayed more vividly in Malayalam cinema.

He further writes, "Chemmeen worked with the most elemental in individual and society, communal and personal life, human emotions and yearnings, which may be the reason why it still holds its mercurial charm.

"[16] In September 2020, Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost wrote, "Ramu Kariat’s Chemmeen gave me my maiden memory of being mesmerized by the visual aspect of the audiovisual media.

He writes, "The high point of Chemmeen, however, is its music that brings together a talented pool of music-makers from north and south.

Bollywood music director Salil Chowdhury weaves a timeless score, as he captures the unique sounds of the kaleidoscopic setting.