The 11th edition of the Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival (AIFF), an annual celebration of acclaimed cinema from across the globe, will be held from January 28 to February 1, 2026, at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra.

The festival’s highest honour, the Padmapani Award, will this year be conferred upon legendary composer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Maestro Shri Ilaiyaraaja, whose groundbreaking work has transformed Indian film music.

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The announcement was made today by AIFF Organising Committee Chairman Nandkishor Kagliwal, Chief Mentor Ankushrao Kadam and the festival’s Honorary Chairman, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker. Ilaiyaraaja was unanimously selected by the Padmapani Award Selection Committee, chaired by noted film critic Latika Padgaonkar, and comprising Ashutosh Gowariker, Sunil Sukthankar and Chandrakant Kulkarni.

The Padmapani Award includes a specially designed memento, a citation and a cash prize of ₹2 lakh.

The award will be presented at the festival’s opening ceremony on Wednesday, January 28, at 5.30 pm at the Rukmini Auditorium, MGM Campus, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The ceremony will be attended by leading national and international artists, eminent personalities from various fields and cinema enthusiasts. Following the inauguration, film screenings and festival events will be held at PVR INOX, Prozone Mall.

With a career spanning more than five decades, Ilaiyaraaja has composed over 7,000 songs and original scores for more than 1,500 films. His work across multiple Indian languages—including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and Marathi—has earned him a unique and enduring place in the hearts of music lovers.

Renowned for seamlessly blending Indian classical and folk traditions with the structural rigour of Western symphonies, Ilaiyaraaja’s music is celebrated for its emotional depth and narrative power. The selection committee noted that the Padmapani Award, symbolising art, compassion and creative devotion, is a fitting tribute to his spirituality, technical discipline and profound human sensitivity—qualities that have earned him the revered title of ‘Isaignani’ (The Musical Sage).