+ List of awards and nominations won by Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja at the TFPC Press Meet Awards & nominations Award Won NominatedFilmfare Awards SouthKerala State Film AwardNandi AwardsNational Film AwardsScreen AwardsTamil Nadu State Film AwardsTotal number of wins and nominations
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian composer and instrumentalist who has worked in over 1000 films in various languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, English, Marathi, Sanskrit, Punjabi with majority of his works in the Tamil language and widely regarded as the greatest Indian music composer of all-time by various critics and experts.
Ilaiyaraaja has also worked as conductor and a songwriter. His songs and background score played a crucial role in the success of many of his films. He is widely regarded as one of the most popular composers in the South Indian film industry, and also in the list of world's top selling music artists. Making his debut through Annakili, a Tamil film in 1976, Ilaiyaraaja has been a prominent composer of film music in South Indian cinema since the late 1970s. He integrated folk lyricism (in Tamil) and introduced broader Western musical sensibilities into the South Indian musical mainstream. A gold medalist in classical guitar from Trinity College of Music, London in 1993 he became the first Asian to compose a full symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London's Walthamstow Town Hall. In 2010, he was bestowed upon Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour and the Padma Vibhushan in 2018, the second highest civilian honour by the Government of India.
Ilaiyaraaja has won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the Tamil film Sindhu Bhairavi (1986) and the Telugu films Rudraveena (1989) and Saagara Sangamam (1984). He won three Best Composer awards during the 1980s at the National Film Awards (India). In 2010, Ilaiyaraaja won the National Film Award for Best Background Score for Malayalam film Pazhassi Raja. He also won the Gold Remi Award for Best Music Score jointly with film composer M. S. Viswanathan at the World Fest-Houston Film Festival for his work in the film Vishwa Thulasi in 2005. In 2015, he was also honoured with the Centenary Award for lifetime achievement at the 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at Panaji, Goa.
He was conferred the title Isaignani ( Savant of Music) in 1988 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and also received the Kalaimamani award, an annual award for excellence in the field of arts from the Government of Tamil Nadu. He also received State Government Awards from the governments of Tamil Nadu, Kerala (1994, 1995, 1998), Andhra Pradesh (1981, 1988, 1990) and Madhya Pradesh (The Lata Mangeshkar Award) (1998) for excellence in music. He is also a recipient of the NTR National Award in 2004. Alongside he also won the Akshaya Samman of the year (2010), a prestigious musical award from Orissa for his outstanding contribution in the field of music.
Ilaiyaraaja was awarded honorary doctorates by Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India (Degree of Doctor of Letter (Honoris causa)) (1994), the World University Round Table, Arizona, U.S.A. (Cultural Doctorate in Philosophy of Music) (April 1994), and Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu (Degree of Doctor of Letters) (1996). He received an award of appreciation from the Foundation and Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (1994), and later that year was presented with an honorary citizenship and key to the Teaneck township by John Abraham, Mayor Teaneck. In a 2003 BBC International poll, more than half-a million people from 165 countries voted his composition "Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu" from the 1991 film Thalapathi as fourth in the world's top 10 most popular songs of all time. Ilayaraja was honoured with Sachin Dev Burman International award for creative music and sound in January 2012.
He was also nominated in the Best Indian album Music Awards category at US based Just Plain Folks Music Organization, which is the largest grassroots music organization in the world, and stood third for his "Music Journey: Live in Italy". In 2014, he has been chosen for his outstanding contribution to the Indian film music and was awarded the SIES Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence award. On December 31, 2015, he was nominated by the Kerala Government for Nishagandi Puraskaram, the top award conferred by the Kerala Government's Tourism Ministry, for his artistic excellence and contributions to the Indian film industry. In 2020, the annual Harivarasanam Award, jointly instituted by the Kerala state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), was presented to Ilaiyaraaja.
Civilian honours Year Award Honouring body Ref 2018 Padma Vibhushan Government of India 2010 Padma Bhushan Government of India
National Film Awards Year Film language Category Outcome Ref 1983 Saagara Sangamam Telugu Best Music Directionrowspan="5" 1985 Sindhu Bhairavi Tamil 1988 Rudra Veena Telugu 2009 Pazhassi Raja Malayalam Best Background Score 2015 Tharai Thappattai Tamil
WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival
Year Film Award Outcome Ref 2005 Vishwa Thulasi Golden Remi Award
International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
Year Field Award Outcome Ref 2015 Music Centenary Award for Lifetime Achievement
Filmfare Awards South Year Film Language Category Outcome Ref 1989Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South Contribution to Cinemarowspan="3" 1990 Bobbili Raja Telugu Best Music Director 1991 Thalapathi Tamil 2001 Kasi Tamilrowspan="2" 2003 Pithamagan Tamil 2003 Manassinakkare Malayalamrowspan="2" 2005 Achuvinte Amma Malayalam 2008 Innathe Chintha Vishayam Malayalamrowspan="7" 2009 Naan Kadavul Tamil Best Lyricist for the song 'Pitchai Pathiram' 2009 Bhagyadevatha Malayalam Best Music Director 2010 Kadha Thudarunnu Malayalam 2011 Sri Rama Rajyam Telugu 2012 Nee Thaane En Pon Vasantham Tamil 2023 Viduthalai Part 1 Tamil
Tamil Nadu State Government Awards
Year Award Honouring body Outcome Ref 1988 Kalaimamani Government of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Year Film(s) Category Outcome 1977 16 Vayathinile Best Music Directorrowspan="6" 1980 Nizhalgal 1981 Alaigal Oivathillai 1988 Agni Natchathiram 1989 Varusham Padhinaaru, Karagattakaran 2009 Ajantha
Kerala State Film Awards Year Film Category Outcome Ref 1994 Sammohanam Best Background Musicrowspan="3" 1995 Kalapani Best Music Director 1998 Kallu Kondoru Pennu Best Background Music
Kerala State Government Awards
Year Award Honouring body Outcome Ref 2016 Nishagandhi Puraskaram Government of Kerala 2020 Harivarasanam Award Government of Kerala and Travancore Devaswom Board
Screen Awards Year Film Category Outcome 2001 Hey Ram Best Background Music
Nandi Awards (Andhra Pradesh State Government) Year Film Category Outcome 1981 Seethakoka Chiluka Best Music Directorrowspan="5" 1988 Rudraveena 1990 Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari 2011 Sri Rama Rajyam 2012 Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu 2004 Many movies NTR National Award
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards
Year Film Award Outcome Ref 2011 Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai Best Music Director
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Year Field Category Outcome Ref 2012 Music Creative and experimental music
South Indian International Movie Awards
Year Film Category Outcome 2012 Rama Rajyam Best Music Director- Telugu 2013 Neethane En Ponvasantham Best Music Director- Tamil 2021 Psycho Best Music Director- Tamil
References