He is usually referred to by the title Isaignani (English: Musical Genius), or as The Maestro. In the 2000s, he composed a variety of non-film music, including religious and devotional songs, an oratorio, and world music. In 2010 he has received Padma Bhushan, awarded by the Government of India. He has won five Indian National Film Awards (the highest film honor in India) three for Best Music Direction and two for Best Background Score.
He is also the first Asian to compose a full symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1993 he organised a full symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and thus became the First Indian to compose a full symphony, with Ravi Shankar being the only other Indian to do so. Ilaiyaraja is also known for creating music by fusing symphonic orchestration with traditional Indian instrumentation, often performed by Budapest Symphony Orchestra. He integrated folk-in Tamil-and introduced western musical sensibilities into the South Indian musical mainstream. Janaki have sung more of his songs than any other singers.
He has composed more than 6500 songs and provided film scores for more than 1000 films, also being acclaimed for his exceptional background scores. Widely regarded as one of the the greatest Indian music composers of all time, Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, singer, and songwriter. Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer who works in the South Indian cinema predominantly in Tamil since mid 1970s.