Legendary music composer Ilayaraja has recently completed four glorious decades of his music composing career in films. In May 1976, Ilayaraja made his debut as a composer with the Tamil film Annakili and there has been no looking back for the Maestro who went on to score for films in several Indian languages. Over these 40 years, the legend has won numerous musical and civilian honours, which include 5 national awards, 6 Tamil Nadu state awards, 3 Nandi awards and 5 Filmfare awards. In 2010, the Maestro was also bestowed upon Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour by the Indian government. Recently, Ilayaraja won the national award for Best Background Score for his 1000th film, Thaarai Thappattai, under Bala’s direction.
