Bagging National Award is no doubt an honour. But it's the other way around when it is conferred on persons like Illayaraja. The National Award got a new recognition when the maestro was selected for it on Wednesday, one can say.
The Isaignani, as he is affectionately called by millions of his fans, won a National Award for his background score in the Malayalam film 'Pazhassi Raja'. "Music has no language barriers. It is the same whether I work for a Tamil or Malayalam movie," he told reporters in Chennai.
"Music is my passion. Awards and accolades did not matter, but good music does. At the same time, winning National Award is an honour and I would concentrate more on good music," he said.
On 'Pazhassi Raja', he said, "The film came alive with interesting characterisation. And it made me to come out with good music. Director Hariharan and producer Gokulam Gopalan need to be appreciated."