Following the unfortunate incident during AR Rahman’s concert, which resulted in the molestation of a woman, deception of the audience, a stampede, and a 12-hour traffic jam in a prominent area of Chennai, a video featuring Ilayaraja expressing concern for his fans has gained popularity on social media. Many are now praising Maestro Ilaya’Raja’ as a true ‘Raja’ for his caring attitude.
The concert is ironically and aptly titled “Marakkuma Nenjam” – which roughly translates to “Will the heart forget?“, turned out to be a nightmarish experience, which the attendees are sure to never forget.
The event was originally scheduled for August but owing to the weather, it was postponed to September. The event took place at Adityaram Palace City in Paniyur near ECR.
Thanks to blatant mismanagement, concert-goers endured a series of woeful incidents. These included being denied entry to the venue despite having valid tickets, losing track of their children, relatives, or friends in the crowded chaos, experiencing panic attacks, facing instances of groping and molestation, and feeling suffocated due to the lack of space. The already challenging situation was exacerbated by the traffic in Chennai, poor parking availability, and the fact that it was a Sunday evening.
Even when a significant number of people were urgently leaving the venue to safeguard their lives, AR Rahman continued with his concert, claiming ignorance, particularly when the commotion would’ve been clearly visible from the stage.
Amid severe backlash Rahman issued a vague statement on X on 11 September 2023, which did not come across as an apology or a show of empathy towards the fans regarding the events that transpired the previous evening. He did not mention anything about issuing a refund, he just posted, “Dearest Chennai Makkale, those of you who purchased tickets and weren’t able to enter owing to unfortunate circumstances, please do share a copy of your ticket purchase to arr4chennai@btos.in along with your grievances. Our team will respond asap”.
Amidst this situation, an old video of Maestro Ilayarajaa demonstrating his approach to managing seating confusion at one of his concerts and displaying genuine empathy for fans who had purchased tickets is currently gaining widespread attention on social media.
In the video, Maestro Ilayaraja can be heard expressing, “My dear fans, I notice that some of you who purchased ₹500 tickets are now occupying seats meant for ₹10,000 tickets. I appreciate your love and enthusiasm, but this isn’t the right way to go about it. If those who bought ₹1,000 tickets take seats that belong to others, where will the rightful ticket holders sit? Won’t they blame me for your actions?”
This video is currently gaining significant traction on social media, lauding Ilayarajaa for his adept handling of seating issues and subtly criticizing AR Rahman for not offering an apology to the women who experienced molestation during his event.
இப்படி எல்லாரும் பொறுப்பா இருந்து நடத்தணும்டா வெங்கம்பயலுவளா…
இளையராஜாவை ஏன் மக்கள் அரியாசனத்தில் வைத்து கும்பிடுறாங்க தெரியுதா??
அது தெரிஞ்சா நீ என்னைக்கோ உருப்பட்டு இருப்பே… pic.twitter.com/owSG0Rx8Ml
— Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian 🇮🇳 (@BS_Prasad) September 11, 2023
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