A writer meets five widows on a train to Puri. As the six lives begin to intertwine, the theme of the taboos of widowhood emerge; but so, too, does a philosophy of life and hope for the future. The performers collectively won Best Actress at India's National Film Awards in 1964.
Arundhati wants to marry Manoj but Biswajit claims Arundhati is his wife Madhu who supposedly died in a train accident. Eventually the confusion is resolved.
Sadhana was based on the novel ‘Chhinapatra’ by Ashapoorna Devi. The film was adjudged as 2nd Best Regional Film (Odia) and received President’s Silver Medal. Actor Sarat Pujari was co-producer of Sadhana. He also written dialogues under the pseudo name Shiladitya, assisted by Minati Mishra.
