Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival: ‘Padmapani’ Award for Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja!

January 19, 2026 Published by Natarajan Karuppiah

The legendary composer of Indian cinema, Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja, is set to be honored with the prestigious ‘Padmapani’ Lifetime Achievement Award at the 11th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival (AIFF) in Maharashtra.

Organized annually by the Marathwada Art and Culture Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Government of Maharashtra, the 11th edition will be held from January 28 to February 1, 2026, at the MGM Campus in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad).

The committee that selected Ilaiyaraaja for this lifetime achievement honor included prominent personalities:

Latika Padgaonkar (Chairperson & Film Critic)

Ashutosh Gowariker (Director of Lagaan fame)

Sunil Sukthankar

Chandrakant Kulkarni

Award Highlights
The Padmapani Award consists of:

A Padmapani Memento.

A Citation of Honor.

A cash prize of ₹2 Lakhs.

This award recognizes Ilaiyaraaja’s extraordinary musical journey spanning over five decades. He has composed music for more than 1,500 films and created over 7,000 songs across various Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Marathi.

Notably, previous recipients of this prestigious award include legends such as poet Javed Akhtar, veteran director Sai Paranjpye, and the late actor Om Puri.

January 28 at 5:30 PM at the Rukmini Hall, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Film Screenings From January 28 to February 1, over 70 films will be screened at PVR INOX cinemas in Prozone Mall.