Music composer AR Rahman has been facing flak on social media after Sunday night’s concert in Chennai. His statement addressing the fiasco wasn’t well received either and many called it too little, too late. Amid all this, his daughters have been sharing posts on Instagram in his defence. (Also read: What happened at AR Rahman concert: 50,000 people came, permission was for 25,000 | 10 points)
Daughters defend dad
On Monday, AR Rahman’s daughters Khatija and Raheema shared a post about how AR Rahman has previously done a lot for his fans and general public. The post called the backlash ‘cheap politics’ and blamed the ‘organisers side’ for ‘unfortunate circumstances’ at the concert.
The post also noted how Rahman had previously held concerts in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022 for flood victims, helped Covid-affected families and others. The post also asked critics to ‘think’ before they speak.
What happened at the concert
On Sunday, Rahman performed at a concert titled Marakuma Nenjam at Adityaram Palace in Chennai’s Paniyur. Due to organisers’ mismanagement, tickets for the concert were oversold by almost twice over, causing a stampede-like situation at the venue. Many women even shared accounts of molestation and groping they suffered due to the overcrowding, on X.
AR Rahman’s tweet reponse
Rahman also addressed the situation. He took to X and promised ticket refunds. “Dearest Chennai Makkale, those of you who purchased tickets and weren’t able to enter owing to unfortunate circumstances, please do share a copy of your ticket purchase to arr4chennai@btos.in along with your grievances. Our team will respond asap. @BToSproductions @actcevents,” he tweeted.
In another post, Rahman wrote, “Some people call me G.O.A.T… let me be the sacrificial goat this time for all of us to wake up ..let Chennai’s live art flourish with a world class infrastructure, increase in tourism, efficient crowd management, traffic management, refining audiences to follow rules… creating a safe and surreal experience for children and women… Triggering a cultural renaissance at Chennai celebrating our deserving, illuminated local and international talent.”
Actor Karthi also defended AR Rahman and said that his family was at the concert too. “We have known and loved Rahman sir for more than 3 decades now… What happened during the concert was unfortunate. However, knowing sir he would be immensely affected by it. My family too was at the concert amid the chaos but I stay with #ARRahman sir and I hope the event organizers take responsibility. I request all the fans to choose love over hate as Rahman sir always gave his love to all. #LoveAboveHate,” he wrote.
