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@article{202715,
        author = {Viraj R and Dr. S. Santosh},
        title = {Beyond the Song: Leitmotif in Ilaiyaraaja's Background Scores},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {12},
        pages = {9319-9336},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=202715},
        abstract = {This paper examines the use and significance of leitmotif as a compositional technique in the background music of Ilaiyaraaja— one of the most prolific and celebrated composers of South Indian cinema—through four films: Mouna Ragam (1986) by Mani Ratnam, Guna (1991) by Santhana Bharathi, Pithamagan (2003) by Bala, and Viduthalai Part 1 (2023) by Vetrimaaran. The study explores how recurring musical motifs are constructed, developed, and transformed across narrative contexts to develop characters, evoke emotions, and establish themes. Musicological approaches rooted in Wagnerian leitmotivic tradition are applied to the realm of Indian film music through close textual analysis, while attending to the cultural and aesthetic specificities of Ilaiyaraaja's practice—particularly how Western symphonic techniques interact with Carnatic classical music, Tamil folklore, and South Indian film traditions. Analysis across nearly four decades of his career demonstrates that leitmotif in Ilaiyaraaja's scores functions beyond emotional expression: as a structuring device that articulates the psychology of the interior self in Mouna Ragam, mythic obsession in Guna, the search for identity in Pithamagan, and political struggle in Viduthalai Part 1.},
        keywords = {Leitmotif, Background Score, Ilaiyaraaja, Tamil Cinema, Musical Narrative},
        month = {May},
        }