Gnana Oli (1972): watch the full film free, legally

Anthony, Marie and the church Father

Gnana Oli, translated as Light of Wisdom, is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language film directed by P. Madhavan and written by Vietnam Veedu Sundaram. Sivaji Ganesan stars in the film, which is a loose adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Miserables. It was later remade in Hindi as Devata in 1978 and in Telugu as Chakravarthy in 1987.

Anthony is an orphan, a warm-hearted but physically effervescent wooden-casket maker who regularly rings the church bell. The kind church Father who raised him remains a central figure in his life. Anthony marries, and on the day his wife goes into labour he agrees to make a coffin for a person believed to be dying, needing the payment. The intended occupant unexpectedly survives, leaving the casket unfinished. Then the Father brings news that Anthony has a daughter, while his wife has died in labour.

Anthony names the child Marie after Mother Mary, and the church Father baptises her. Years pass. Marie goes to the city for her education and returns home for a holiday as a teenager. The elderly Father blesses father and daughter, hoping Marie will achieve greatly enough to establish trust organisations, educational institutions and hospitals for people in need. Anthony wants her to fulfil that ambition, and rejects the prospect of an early marriage for her.

A friendship tested by violence

Lawrence, a police officer and Anthony's long-lost childhood friend, is introduced to Anthony by the elderly Father. Their friendship quickly becomes close. Curious to meet Marie, Lawrence accompanies Anthony to his home. There, both men find Marie in an intimate situation with an unknown young man. Anthony, who considers his daughter a divine gift from God, is enraged and attempts to attack Marie and the man.

Lawrence restrains Anthony. At the scene, he has Marie and the young man exchange rings in an informal marriage, and makes Anthony swear in the Lord's name that he will not worsen matters. Anthony tells the Father what has happened. Seeking to put matters right, the Father asks Anthony to arrange a formal marriage. Anthony traces the young man to a Hindu doctor whom the man had claimed was his father, only to learn that the claim was false.

Anthony nevertheless pleads with the young man to marry Marie. Learning of the man's playboy behaviour and refusal to marry her, Anthony forcibly brings him to the church for a wedding. A scuffle follows, and Anthony accidentally kills him. Lawrence arrests his friend in front of the Father, caught between his police duty, his loyalty to the church and his anguish over Anthony's fate. Anthony is sentenced.

While imprisoned, Anthony learns that Marie has disappeared. The aged Father asks Lawrence to arrange temporary bail so he can see Anthony, explaining that he is too old to visit prisons. Lawrence promises to care for Anthony after his sentence but says that, until then, duty requires him to treat Anthony as a criminal. The Father gives Anthony a holy candlestick and asks him to become wiser and act with purity. He also leaves Anthony with the hope of hospitals and educational institutions for those in need.

Mr. Arun returns after two decades

Two decades later, Anthony returns as Mr. Arun, a millionaire who has become mature and disciplined. He has changed his name not to evade Lawrence or the law, but to fulfil the late Father's promise to serve poor people. He intends eventually to surrender for the accidental killing after completing the work the Father wanted done. Arun has founded an orphanage and returns to the church where he once rang the bell.

At the church, Arun sees Marie, alive and working there as a teacher, after believing that she had died. Lawrence has remained a guardian to Marie and her family, keeping his promise to support Anthony's family if Anthony could not. Anthony's disappearance caused the police department to suspect Lawrence because of their former friendship, and Lawrence was denied promotion. He continues hoping to find Anthony while remaining true to his duty.

The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan, with lyrics by Kannadasan. Released on 11 March 1972, Gnana Oli ran for more than 100 days in theatres. Sivaji Ganesan won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil.

Film details from the Wikipedia article “Gnana Oli”. Text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.