AR Rahman concert: Firm told to pay damages to Chennai man

CHENNAI: Remember AR Rahman’s 'Marakkuma Nenjam' event on ECR in September 2023, which turned chaotic and messy after a large number of ticket holders were left in the lurch without seats? The event and the subsequent chaos at Adityaram Palace City on ECR also led to the CM getting stuck in a traffic jam. Well, one of those dejected ticket holders, who approached the Consumer Commission, has got a favourable order of compensation of Rs 55,000, after he failed to get the promised refund.

Chennai resident KR Arjun had filed a complaint with the Consumer Commission against an event management company, an entertainment company, and musician AR Rahman. According to him, he paid Rs 10,826 for two "diamond" category tickets featuring Rahman, planned by ACTC Events at ECR. Tickets were sold in five categories (silver, gold, diamond, platinum, VIP) priced from Rs 2,000 to Rs 25,000 via platforms including BookMyShow, owned by Big Tree Entertainment Pvt Ltd (second opposite party). The diamond category promised dedicated car parking.

The complainant, Arjun of Anna Nagar, purchased his tickets via BookMyShow. Upon arriving for the first scheduled concert, it was abruptly postponed due to bad weather, which Arjun claims was not officially announced. Ticket holders were informed that the same tickets would be valid for the rescheduled date, but needed to collect a wristband for entry, either at the venue or beforehand at a city mall. Arjun collected his wristband early.

On the rescheduled day, heavy traffic played spoilsport. Holding diamond tickets, Arjun expected assured parking despite delays. However, he was denied entry, and he was forced to park on a narrow street outside. The venue was severely overcrowded, with no visible event staff, bouncers, or police to manage the crowd or ensure safety. Unable to reach their designated gate amidst the chaos and fearing a potential stampede, Arjun and his friend suffered significant physical and mental distress and left without watching the show.

AR Rahman (third opposite party) later apologised on Instagram, asking affected attendees to email grievances for resolution. Arjun sent details and received an email apology promising a refund, which never came. Follow-up emails to the company also went unanswered.

In the subsequent case before the Chennai North District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (president D Gopinath, members Kavitha Kannan and V Ramamurthy), ACTC Events contested some claims. Big Tree Entertainment was set ex parte (did not appear), and Rahman stated he had issued a public apology on moral grounds.

The commission dismissed the complaints against Big Tree Entertainment and AR Rahman. However, it upheld the complaint against ACTC Events for a deficiency in service. The event management company was directed to pay Arjun Rs 50,000 as compensation covering the ticket cost, monetary loss, mental agony, pain, and suffering, plus Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs, totalling Rs 55,000.