Chinmayi Sripaada Lends Support To Women Harassed At AR Rahman's Concert: 'You Didn't Deserve This'

Musician Chinamyi Sripaada has spoken out in support of women who shared graphic accounts of getting molested at the latest AR Rahman concert. Titled Marakkuma Nenjam, the event was held in Chennai on Sunday, September 10. Now, in a lengthy address shared on X, the singer emphasized how difficult it is to scratch and scrub away the trauma of harassment. Chinmayi Sripaada explained that women deserved a fun night rather than facing something so heinous and feeling helpless. She wished only “love and healing” for those who felt preyed upon, hoping everyone had the hand of a loved one, lending them support amid the crisis situation.

She wrote, “You did not deserve this. You deserved music, you deserved fun, you deserved joy, you deserved a concert experience that made you cry; cry from the joy you felt from the music, from feelings that evoked nostalgia. You deserved warmth, the shared euphoria from other fans as everyone sang along, shouted along, jumped along to songs that we love to vibe and groove to.”

Chinmayi added, “You deserved an experience that made you recount it with love, think of it with fondness, and wish for the next one to make a beautiful new memory associated with this magical beautiful thing called music, with a musician we adore. I wish you didn’t have to go through sexual harassment but you did and wish as I might that such experiences never happen to anyone, this wish doesn’t come to pass.”

What happened at the AR Rahman concert?

The musical event hosted at Chennai’s Adityaram Palace City was attended by approximately 45,000 people. It is suggested the appearance of the large crowd occurred owing to mismanagement issues on the organizers’ part. The concert tickets were seemingly oversold, almost giving rise to a stampede-like situation at the venue. Without proper crowd management efforts, several female attendees alleged they were groped and molested.

AR Rahman’s statement:

During a recent interaction with Hindu, AR Rahman stated feeling “terribly disturbed” by the turnabout of the events. “Right now, we are just terribly disturbed. Safety was the primary issue, especially because there were women and kids,” he said. In addition to this, the Grammy winner also publicly apologized on X promising refunds to those who purchased tickets but weren’t allowed inside. Reportedly, the mismanagement occurred due to a last-minute change. The concert scheduled to take place in August was postponed to September due to extreme weather conditions.