Mayil is sixteen and dreams of becoming a teacher and marrying an educated man. Chappani, a lame orphan the villagers treat as a joke, adores her and runs her errands. When a visiting doctor charms her and leaves, and the village rowdy Parattai sets his eyes on her, gossip and cruelty close in on all three. 16 Vayathinile was Bharathiraja's first film and is often credited with taking Tamil cinema out of the studio: it was shot largely outdoors in real villages, with earthy dialogue and characters. Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and a young Rajinikanth, as the swaggering villain with the catchphrase 'Idhu eppadi irukku?', gave memorable early performances. Ilaiyaraaja's songs were a big part of its success, and S. Janaki won the National Film Award for 'Senthoora Poove'. It was remade in Hindi as Solva Sawan (1979), again with Sridevi.
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