Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Renowned music composer Ilaiyaraaja will be honoured with the Padmapani Award at the Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival (AIFF) 2026, festival organisers announced on Sunday.

The annual festival is scheduled to take place in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar from January 28 to February 4. Ilaiyaraaja will be presented with the award during the festival’s opening ceremony on January 28, which is expected to be attended by prominent Indian and international artistes, distinguished guests from various fields and cinema enthusiasts.

According to the organisers, the decision to confer the award on the veteran composer was taken by a selection committee headed by noted film critic Latika Padgaonkar. The panel also included acclaimed filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, director Sunil Sukthankar and theatre and film personality Chandrakant Kulkarni.

As part of the honour, Ilaiyaraaja will receive the Padmapani memento, a citation, and a cash award of Rs 2 lakh. Previous recipients of the Padmapani Award include eminent figures such as lyricist Javed Akhtar, filmmaker and writer Sai Paranjpye, and late actor Om Puri.

With a career spanning more than five decades, Ilaiyaraaja has composed over 7,000 songs and provided original background scores for more than 1,500 films. His work across multiple Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and Marathi, has made him one of the most influential and widely admired composers in Indian cinema.

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The organisers also said that close to 70 films will be showcased during the eight-day festival.