Directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, it is a remake of the Tamil hit 16 Vayathinile (1977), which also starred Sridevi.

She is an attractive, intelligent woman living in a small society, filled with ambitions of becoming a teacher.

Her only remaining family is her distant cousin Gopalakrishna, a village simpleton who is taken advantage of and isolated by the society.

With no other hope Malli gets support from Gopal and turns him into good person and gradually falls in love with him.

Rajinikanth expressed interesting in reprising his role from the original, but Mohan Babu was selected as he was better known in Telugu cinema.

Sridevi reprised her role from the original after attempts to sign Jayasudha were unsuccessful.