, 2016 Gopalakrishnan's debut film, the national award-winning
Swayamvaram (1972) was a milestone in
Malayalam film history. The film was exhibited widely in various international film festivals including those held in Moscow,
Melbourne, London and Paris. The films that followed namely
Kodiyettam, Elippathayam, Mukhamukham, Anantaram, Mathilukal, Vidheyan and
Kathapurushan lived up to the reputation of his first film and were well received by critics at various film festivals and fetched him many awards. However,
Mukhamukham was criticized in Kerala while
Vidheyan was at the centre of a debate due to the differences in opinion between the writer of story of the film Sakhariya and Gopalakrishnan. Gopalakrishnan's later films are
Nizhalkuthu, narrating the experiences of an executioner who learns that one of his subjects was innocent, and
Naalu Pennungal, a film adaptation of four short stories by
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. All his films have won national and international awards (National award for best film twice, best director five times, and best script two times. His films have also won his actors and technicians several national awards). Gopalakrishnan's third feature,
Elippathayam won him the coveted British Film Institute Award for 'the most original and imaginative film' of 1982. The International Film Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) has gone to him six times successively for
Mukhamukham, Anantharam, Mathilukal, Vidheyan, Kathapurushan and
Nizhalkkuthu. Winner of several international awards like the UNICEF film prize (Venice),
OCIC film prize (Amiens), INTERFILM Prize (Mannheim) etc., his films have been shown in
Cannes,
Venice,
Berlin,
Toronto,
London,
Rotterdam and every important festival around the world. In consideration of his contribution to Indian cinema, the nation honoured him with the title of
Padma Shri (India's fourth highest civilian award) in 1984 and
Padma Vibhushan (India's second highest civilian award) in 2006. ==Personal life==