Special Reports Tamil Nadu

Scam 2023? What Went Wrong At AR Rahman’s Marakkuma Nenjam Concert?

September 12, 2023
The Commune

What was meant to be a night of music and celebration turned into a harrowing ordeal for thousands of attendees at AR Rahman’s ‘Marakkuma Nenjam‘ concert. The event, organised by ACTC Events, is now mired in controversy and labelled “Scam 2023” as hundreds of people who had paid tickets worth thousands of rupees felt cheated and traumatized due to poor crowd management. Scores of people were seen returning aghast unable to attend the concert. Many women were molested and children were lost and found. Some even fainted and had panic attacks due to the piling crowd.

Chaotic Arrangements & Overcrowding

From the outset, the concert experienced chaotic arrangements that put attendees’ lives at risk. Despite indications of traffic buildup, the police appeared unresponsive to the situation, leading to severe traffic congestion. Inside the venue, attendees faced life-threatening situations due to the lack of crowd control. Many who managed to enter were met with suffocation and cramped spaces, causing them to exit immediately. However, the congestion continued outside, and the police and event managers remained uninvolved.

Ticketing Scandal?

In a video put out by YouTuber Maridhas, he alleges that there could be a ticketing scandal. The seating plan indicates limited capacities for each category, but reports suggest that tickets were oversold, resulting in severe overcrowding. 

The Seating Arrangement

What was supposed to be a well-organised programme with an estimated attendance of over 20000 attendees turned into utter chaos as a venue meant to hold far fewer people found itself swamped by an astonishing 45,000 attendees. Attendees and eyewitnesses have pointed fingers at the event organisers for their failure to manage the crowd effectively.

The event had an elaborate ticketing system in place with varying price tiers: VIP tickets priced at ₹25,000, Platinum at ₹10,000, Diamond at ₹5,000, Gold at ₹2,000, Silver at ₹1,000, and General Entry at 500 INR. The seating plan suggested a capacity of 500 in the VIP section, 700-1000 in Platinum, 1150-1250 in Diamond, 3000-3200 in Gold, approximately 2000-2300 in Silver, and no specified limit for General Entry.

However, it quickly became apparent that something was amiss. Attendees in the Gold seating zone, meant to accommodate around 3000 people, reported that 6000-7000 attendees were allowed to enter, with no seats available, leaving everyone standing.

The Silver zone, designed for approximately 2300 attendees, was allegedly inundated with nearly 10,000 people, creating severe congestion and discomfort for those in attendance. Reports suggest that issues in the Gold, Diamond, and Platinum zones also surfaced within the first 30 minutes of the event.

One of the most alarming aspects of this mismanagement is that every attendee had registered on the event’s website, providing their data and contact information to the organisers. In the aftermath of the event, attendees questioned why the organisers did not implement measures to verify registered attendees. Many attendees expressed bewilderment over how such a massive crowd was able to gain entry to the event. These allegations hint at potential manipulation, either by the ticket-selling website or the event organisers.

Exorbitant Prices & Profit Margins

Food prices inside the venue have also come under scrutiny. ACTC Events not only managed the event but also handled the food concessions within the venue. Here is a picture of the menu at the event:

Source: Screengrab of Maridhas YouTube Video

A standard 500ml water bottle, typically priced at 10 rupees, was being sold for 30 rupees, while a 1-liter bottle, which ordinarily costs 20 rupees, was available for 50 rupees. This translates to a substantial 150% markup on the prices of all items offered at the event location.

AR Rahman’s Apathetic Response

AR Rahman’s response to the turmoil further fueled attendees’ anger. He posted a vague note on Twitter and referred to himself as the “G.O.A.T” (Greatest of All Time) on Instagram, a move perceived by some fans as narcissistic. In a late-morning tweet, Rahman provided no mention of refunds or apologies, directing attendees to an email address to address their grievances. In a subsequent interview, Rahman took responsibility for the mistakes but neither apologized nor failed to address critical questions about the crowd’s size, data verification, entry and exit procedures, overpriced menus, and car parking issues.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ARR (@arrahman)

Coimbatore Event 

The Coimbatore event witnessed a similar occurrence, with the notable difference being that in a metropolitan city like Chennai, media presence at the venue ensured that the mishaps during the Chennai event received widespread public attention. Conversely, in Coimbatore, the incidents that transpired were kept under wraps and portrayed as a successful event without any disruptions. Maridhas characterises it as a relatively minor scandal compared to the one that unfolded in Chennai. ACTC was also responsible for organising the Coimbatore event. It must also be noted that past events of AR Rahman in Singapore & Malaysia have been marred by controversy owing to the fact that they were very poorly organised.

Organisers’ Role & Lack of Accountability

ACTC Events have faced criticism for their lackadaisical attitude and vague responses to attendees’ concerns. Maridhas alleges that artists like AR Rahman often rely on performing their well-known songs, without the need to create new ones. The celebrities entrust the entirety of their event responsibilities to the organisers and seem largely disinterested in the proceedings. 

After the event, ACTC tweeted about the previous evening’s “massive success”, but the responses to inquiries in the comments section of their tweets are consistently uniform: a repetitive “will do the needful.”

Both Rahman and ACTC echo similar sentiments, that the “needful” will be done. Their responses to queries on social media have been repetitive and devoid of substantial answers, leaving attendees overwhelmed with questions and a lack of clarity regarding justice. CEO of ACTC Hemanth in an interview has however promised refunds to those who were not able to attend. 

According to reports, the police had given permission for only 25,000 but in the interview to Thanthi TV, the CEO of ACTC Hemanth unwittingly revealed that they sold over 45,000 tickets and put up over 47,000 chairs but did not get permission for the same. But he also told that the police were aware of the fact that the audience turnout would be more.

Allegations Of Political Connection

Maridhas alleges that the ruling government, the organisers, and the singer are in collusion regarding this issue. People were making a commotion on the roads outside the venue, complaining of the congestion, suffocation, cramped space inside the venue. The attendees had to travel for 4 hours to reach the venue even though they were only a short distance away. Even Chief Minister MK Stalin’s vehicle was caught in the jam due to the concert, yet not a single policeman ventured to the venue to investigate why such a massive crowd had gathered. The following day, a police official gave a statement to the press, stating that they would look into the matter and take necessary action.

Maridhas again contends that they all seem to be using identical language, which he interprets as a signal that no substantial action will be taken. According to him, he suspects that the Tamil Nadu police might be complicit, as a similar event by Rahman in Pune was promptly halted by the police for exceeding the permitted time. Live concerts are only allowed in Pune until 10 PM. A police officer got onto the stage and instructed that the event be concluded.

However, in Chennai, the police turned a blind eye. Questions have been regarding the police’s action despite traffic issues leading to speculations about possibilities of political involvement. There is a stark contrast with the Pune event, where police halted the concert for violating permitted timings, while in Chennai, the event continued even as attendees fled due to safety concerns. 

While Rahman referred to himself as GOAT and claiming to be the sacrificial goat in the episode, it is three Indian Police Service officers – Disha Mittal IPS, Dr. Deepa Sathyan IPS and Adarsh Pachera IPS who have been made the sacrificial goats.

AR Rahman Fails To Acknowledge Fans’ Sentiments

Despite all the uproar surrounding the event, AR Rahman posted a tweet late in the morning—a message that conspicuously lacked any mention of refunds or an apology. Instead, he straightforwardly instructed attendees to reach out to a specified email ID to voice their grievances.

Many attendees had anticipated some form of compensation, such as refunds or the opportunity to attend a future concert. Rahman’s tweet primarily addressed those who were unable to enter the event, leaving a looming question: What would be his response to those who managed to escape a harrowing situation that unfolded inside?

Around the same time as his tweet, an interview with The Hindu was published, where Rahman claimed responsibility for the event’s mistakes. However, his tweet seemed more like an attempt to deflect criticism, stating that such errors would not occur again in the future. Curiously, he did not address any of the pressing questions raised by attendees and the public:

  1. Why did such a massive crowd gather?
  2. Shouldn’t there have been records of ticket purchasers?
  3. How did the crowd size swell beyond the venue’s capacity?
  4. What measures were in place for entry and exit management?
  5. Why were the menu prices exorbitantly high?
  6. Why was car parking located so far away, a considerable inconvenience for attendees?

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 was audible from a considerable distance.

PR Team Deployed To Cushion AR Rahman From Public Anger

With people seething with anger on social media, attempts are now being made to absolve AR Rahman and pin it on the event organizer ACTC.

Actor Karthi (brother of ‘actor’ Suriya Sivakumar who often peddles DMK propaganda on and off screen) came out in support of AR Rahman trivializing the fiasco and asking the event organizers to take responsibility.

Samathuva Makkal Katchi head and actor Sarath Kumar went to the extent of gaslighting the already traumatized audience saying “there is nobody to blame except own own discipline of “following the queue” an “traffic rules“. He tried to absolve Rahman and the event organizer ACTC of any responsibility by pinning the blame on “every single individual who first created chaos” and “violated the traffic rules on the roads”.

BJP leader Khushbu too came out in support of AR Rahman and blamed the organizers for the mismanagement.

 

His daughter Khatija Rahman shared a post which spoke AR Rahman’s charity to various causes.

This is what another “die hard fan” of AR Rahman said:

AR Rahman’s ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ concert has come to be known as a scandal, ‘Scam 2023’, with attendees demanding accountability, transparency, and justice for the traumatic experience they endured. Public anger continues to grow as questions about responsibility, safety, and financial improprieties remain unanswered.

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