Hymavathi cannot speak, but she expresses everything through dance, and the cruelty of her stepmother cannot stop her. Sambayya, a poor, good-hearted drummer, sees her gift and becomes her protector and accompanist, beating out the rhythms to which she dances in temple festivals, while his own feelings for her grow. Their quiet bond is tested by her family, by the people who would exploit her and by the gulf between their stations. Siri Siri Muvva ("tinkling anklet bells") was the film that made Jaya Prada a star, and its success led Viswanath to remake it in Hindi as Sargam (1979), with Rishi Kapoor and Jaya Prada in her Hindi debut. K. V. Mahadevan's songs and the dance sequences are the film's heart, and it is often counted among Viswanath's finest works on art and music.
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