Karthi comes out in support of AR Rahman; shares his family was in chaos at Chennai concert

Tamil actor Karthi has come out in support of music maestro AR Rahman and revealed that his family was also present in the chaos at the Chennai concert on September 10.

Taking to X (previously known as Twitter), the ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ star said, ‘We have known and loved Rahman sir for more than 3 decades now… What happened during the concert was unfortunate. However, knowing sir he would be immensely affected by it. My family too was at the concert amid the chaos but I stay with #ARRahman sir and I hope the event organizers take responsibility. I request all the fans to choose love over hate as Rahman sir always gave his love to all. #LoveAboveHate’

Music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja also sided with AR Rahman. He expressed his thoughts on the incident on X and wrote, ‘Organising an event of the magnitude of a concert is an immensely complex task, involving numerous moving parts, from logistics and crowd control to traffic management. As unfortunate as it is, mishaps such as overcrowding and other unforeseen problems have happened during concerts of such magnitude, owing to several reasons including organisational missteps. Even with the best intentions, things can go awry, causing intense distress to the very people who make our music meaningful - our fans (sic)’

‘It’s crucial that event producers and organisers reflect upon this incident. As performers, we place our trust in these producers to ensure that everything runs smoothly and our fans, are well taken care of while we’re on stage. It is truly disheartening to witness such a situation unfold and it even urges artists, including myself to take on an active role in the planning & safety measures (sic),’ Yuvan Shankar Raja added.

He concluded his note by saying, ‘As a fellow musician, I empathise with the situation and stand by AR Rahman, considering the unfortunate events, especially when the concert was intended to give the fans a memorable night, for all the right reasons (sic).’

Many fans complained that they were not allowed to enter the premises despite having a valid ticket due to overcrowding and many women claimed that they were molested and groped at the event.