On Tuesday, the 63rd National Film Awards were awarded by President Pranab Mukherjee where maestro Ilayaraja won the honour for Best Music Direction - Background Score for Bala’s Tharai Thappattai.

However, the coveted composer was not present and it turns out, he is unhappy with the bifurcation of the award where a separate category for background score has been created.

In an interview to The Hindu, Raja said that the award committee’s decision to honour a composer’s song alone or background score alone is like honouring only half his work. "The performance of a music director should be judged in a holistic manner which includes songs as well as background score,” he said.

He added that there should be only one category in music direction similar to direction, cinematography and editing. He feels bifurcation of awards leads to “pollution”.

So far in his illustrious career, Ilayaraja has received the National Award for music direction thrice – for Sagara Sangamam, Sindhu Bhairavi and Rudra Veena.

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