Singer and AR Rahman’s daughter Khatija Rahman issued a statement in support of her father after fans alleged mismanagement of his Marakkuma Nenjam concert in Chennai on Sunday, September 10. In her statement, Khatija objected to her father being portrayed as a “scammer” and also called out people who were giving the issue a communal shade, terming it “cheap politics.” Her statement read, “The reason for the unfortunate incidents that happened yesterday is 100% from the organiser’s side. But he [AR Rahman] took the responsibility and [was held] accountable.”
A BJP representative, SR Sekhar, while responding to the issue, accused Rahman of “humiliating Hindus” who went to attend the concert. Sekhar’s comment was slammed by many.
Khatija’s statement also drew attention to all the times AR Rahman organised a concert to raise relief funds and the times he performed for free. She said, “In 2016, Nenje Yezhu concert was held in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai for people who were affected by rain and flood. In 2018, when the people of Kerala were affected by the rains and floods, [he] helped them by holding a concert abroad.” The singer-music composer also pointed out how AR Rahman helped several families that required basic provisions during the pandemic and he held a free concert in 2022 for “deserving Lightman crew members and their families.”
The Marakkuma Nenjam concert which was held in Adityaram Palace on the East Coast Road (ECR) on Sunday, left scores of fans disappointed and angry as they alleged that there was massive overcrowding due to mismanagement by the organisers. Many fans complained of not being able to enter the venue despite reaching well in advance. Some alleged of being injured in the melee.There were reports of children being separated from parents and women being molested. Angered by the poor management, fans demanded accountability from AR Rahman and the concert organiser ACTC Events.
Meanwhile, Tambaram police confirmed to TNM that they suspect ACTC Events oversold the tickets and they are investigating the issue. However, a representative from the event management company told TNM that they were adequately prepared to manage the crowd but acknowledged that the event could have been managed better.
Read: AR Rahman concert fiasco: Cops suspect over-selling of tickets, fans disappointed