AR Rahman Chennai concert organisers take full responsibility for mismanagement: We failed

AR Rahman’s Marakkumma Nenjam concert which was held in Chennai on Sunday ended up garnering a lot of attention for unexpected reasons.

Several attendees reported gross mismanagement at the venue, including not being allowed to enter the premises despite having a pass. Reportedly, there was also a stampede-like situation at the venue, with many women reporting instances of being groped and sexually harassed by men. As a result, the crowd demanded that they be issued an unconditional apology both from Rahman as well as the organisers.

3 things you need to know:

• The Marakkumma Nenjam concert was held at Adityaram Palace in Chennai, with over 50,000 people in attendance.
• Concert organisers obtained permission for only 20,000 people but sold 41,000 tickets.
• Rahman addressed the issue on social media and wrote, "I'm terribly disturbed and accountable for what happened."

Organisers urge not to 'spread negativity about Rahman'

On Monday, AR Rahman addressed the alleged mismanagement reports, expressing his regret about the inconvenience faced by attendees and promised full refunds to those who weren’t able to enter the venue on Sunday.

However, netizens were not satisfied with the Oscar-winning composer’s response and saw it as a refusal to take accountability. Later, ACTC events, the organisers of the event, issued an unconditional apology for the mismanagement that caused their patrons distress at the venue on Sunday evening. 

 

 

 

 

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The CEO of ACTC events Hemanth Raja stated ina video clip, “Our goal was to guarantee an unforgettable night of Rahman sir’s songs for his fans. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, many couldn’t access the venue. We accept full responsibility for this and are accountable. He is not one to blame. It's completely our mistake. Don't spread negativity about him. He did his job one hundred percent and the majority were enjoyed, but we failed. We take full responsibility.”

We did not oversell tickets: Organisers 

Additionally, Hemanth Raja claimed that contrary to reports, the organisers did not oversell tickets, adding that the chaos ensued because purely of ticket duplication and concentrated crowding in certain pockets at the venue.

Raja also said that the company would be providing refunds to those who bought tickets but couldn’t attend the show and urged them to get in touch with them with all the details. The Marakkumma Nenjam concert was held at Adityaram Palace in Chennai. Reportedly, there were more than 50,000 music lovers in attendance. Reportedly, many fans were denied entry despite them holding special passes that cost Rs 2000.