The movie is based on the play Saahukaara written by B. P. Dhuttharagi. The film was a musical blockbuster with all the tracks composed by G. K. Venkatesh considered evergreen hits. Rajkumar became popular as a playback singer with the track Yaare Koogadali from the film which became an instant hit among the audiences. He would then go on to sing regularly for his films. The film was remade in Telugu in 1975 as Thota Ramudu starring Chalam, in Tamil in 1975 as Pudhu Vellam starring Sivakumar and in Malayalam in 1976 as Themmadi Velappan starring Prem Nazir.

Ramachandra Rao, a professor, is forced to marry Gowri at his family's behest despite being in love with Lalitha. He fails to get along with his wife and broods about his lost love. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Vani. The film is considered as one of the greatest romantic films in Kannada noted for the strong performances of lead actors Rajkumar and Kalpana.