AR Rahman interview on his ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ concert: I’m terribly disturbed and accountable for what happened

In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, composer AR Rahman clarifies what happened at Chennai’s ‘Marakuma Nenjam’ concert on Sunday evening, which left many fans disappointed

AR Rahman’s latest Chennai concert, titled ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’, will be one that many remember for a long time. But not for the right reasons.

With over 45,000 people descending on Chennai’s Adityaram Palace City on Sunday evening, scenes outside the concert venue told a story: of long queues, traffic snarls and mismanagement of ticket holders. While many fans who held valid tickets left the venue seething with rage, some got into arguments with policemen and organisers (ACTC Events) on the lack of proper arrangements.

“It was a tsunami of people and love that we were unable to handle,” Rahman told The Hindu. “As a composer, my job was to give a terrific show, and I thought everything else would be taken care of. I was just thinking that it shouldn’t rain, and was happily performing inside, without any idea of what was happening outside. Our intentions were good, but I think the response was beyond our expectations. We are collecting the data now, and we will surprise fans with something soon.”

“Right now, we are just terribly disturbed. Safety was the primary issue, especially because there were women and kids. I don’t want to point fingers at anyone, but we have to realise that the city is expanding, and the passion to consume music and art is also expanding.”

The concert had already been rescheduled in a last-minute change from August to September owing to unfavourable weather conditions. Rahman had said the decision was taken with the guidance of authorities and to ensure the safety and well-being of his fans.

Despite ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ being one of India’s highest selling shows till date, the overselling of tickets and bad crowd management were among the many reasons fans were upset. Rahman explains, “The organisers (ACTC events) had put together about 46,000 chairs in the venue. In some sections, everybody sat on one side and didn’t move to the other side. Seeing this, the policemen on duty assumed that the venue was full and closed it. By this time, the show had already started inside.”

Even as the composer and music team dished out his popular songs, packed with dance sequences and visuals, many fans outside were left unattended to. “This was like a cyclone or a tsunami that we did not plan for. We did 20 concerts in the US last year, and everything was smooth and trouble free — because we trusted the system there. ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ is India’s highest-sold show till date, which is great, but it is more important how we treat people than the actual concert itself. And that, I had little control over. I knew what all songs to pack in, which singers to rope in, and what musical surprises to give fans, but going forward, artistes have to take leadership on measuring contractually what goes into these arrangements.”