AR Rahman's Chennai concert goes horribly wrong—composer-singer finally responds
AR Rahman fans were in for a tragic turn of events when they reached the Adityaram Palace City in East Coast Road, Chennai on Sunday evening for his concert Marakuma Nenjam. What should have been a night of music and madness turned into a nightmare as overbooking caused a stampede-like situation, with several women alleging that they were groped or harassed. Here's more.
Fans slammed the event organizer for overbooking
The concert was organized by ACTC Events, and fans who posted images and videos from the site shared that the venue was overbooked, "clearly to mint more money." Several fans had purchased tickets worth thousands, but either they could never reach the central seating area (despite reaching hours before the concert) or got stuck near the entry points, where hundreds like them struggled.
Fans bought expensive tickets, only to return home without attending
Thousands had gathered at the venue, but only a few of them found seats and on Sunday night, images/videos of people panicking, crying, and trying to locate their family members/friends surfaced on X. Some also complained that there were no chairs. One eyewitness tweeted, "Imagine the plight of people who paid 10K and can't get a seat because of [the mismanagement and overbooking]."
Several women shared horrific accounts from the concert
Several women shared on X how they were groped and touched uncomfortably by unknown men, and resultantly got panic and anxiety attacks. A woman wrote on X, "As a woman who was groped twice in the concert, shame on all of you for making me go through anxiety and adding to my trauma." Several women also talked about feeling numb after the disturbing incident.
Take a look at the venue
ACTC responded, but it hardly meant anything
ACTC Events has not yet responded to the complaints and demands for refunds, but it posted a tweet on Monday morning that said, "Grateful to Chennai and the legendary @arrahman Sir! The incredible response, the overwhelming crowd made our show a massive success. Those who couldn't attend on overcrowding, Our sincere apologies. We take full responsibility and [accountability]. We are with you."
Meanwhile, Rahman offered help
Other terrible concerts in India in the past
This is not the first time a concert has gone terribly south due to overcrowding and a lack of security and sanitation facilities. In May 2017, when Justin Bieber performed in India, several fans complained of exorbitantly priced water and unmanageable crowds. DJ Snake's 2019 concert in Bengaluru also came under fire for mismanagement of parking and the duration of his act (30 minutes).
