Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman posted a "highlights" video of his controversial Chennai concert 'Marakkuma Nenjam,' sparking an online uproar. The show, which took place on September 10, received immense backlash.
The police eventually registered cases against an organiser official, ACTC Events, for overselling tickets, committing a breach of trust and causing inconvenience to people. Rahman tweeted the concert video but turned off the post's comment section. The composer, however, was slammed in quote tweets, where fans called him out for being tone-deaf and sharing a celebratory video.
Some comments called out Rahman for going ahead with a "highlights" video when the concert was a traumatic experience for many who attended it. "This post was entirely unnecessary at the moment after many of his fans & the general audience experienced heartbreak", a fan wrote, while another commented, "never thought ARR. would stoop so low."
After the backlash for the concert, AR Rahman wrote on Instagram that he is okay with being the "sacrificial goat" if it means a wakeup call for a better, safer live art scene in Chennai.
"Some people call me GOAT…………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!" he wrote.