AR Rahman reschedules Chennai concert due to ‘adverse weather’; new date soon

Music maestro AR Rahman has announced that he will be rescheduling his Saturday concert in Chennai because of "adverse weather conditions and persistent rains".

Rahman, who was set to perform the first gig of his concert tour "Marakkuma Nenjam" at the Adityaram Palace City, ECR, shared the news on his official social media pages.

"My Dearest Friends... Owing to adverse weather conditions and persistent rains, it is only made advisable for the health and safety of my beloved fans and friends to reschedule the concert to the nearest best date, with the guidance of the statutory authorities," the Oscar-winning composer wrote.

"More details on the new date will follow soon!" he added.

"Marakkuma Nenjam" (loosely translated from Tamil to mean 'will my heart be able to forget this') concert will celebrate Rahman's 30 years as a music composer.

It is set to start from Chennai and move to other cities in India and abroad. The concert will also travel to France, Germany, and Switzerland for the first time.

Earlier, Rahman had requested the concert-goers to leave early for the venue and secure their seats for a "memorable concert experience".

"Dear friends attending the Chennai concert tonight, I'm excited to see you all after so long! We request you to leave early and secure your seats early to have a memorable concert experience," he posted on Saturday afternoon.

Many of the Jai Ho composer's fans, who had flown down from cities such as Bengaluru and Pune to attend the concert, expressed their disappointment over rescheduling.

Also read: AR Rahman, set for 30 years of music, says world must see India’s rainbow of cultures

"I'm already halfway through the concert. Sheer disappointment thalaivar," a fan wrote on microblogging site X.

Another said, "We are returning with disappointment sir! Hoping to see you back soon!" "My heart is broken...Was waiting for the musical experience so much... We were almost there at the venue... Hopefully I will get to witness @arrahman live one day in the near future...#MarakkumaNenjam," a user said.

Rahman, who has worked in the south, in the Hindi film industry, as well as Hollywood, Broadway, and the London stage, burst into the music scene with Mani Ratnam's Roja in 1992.

In his over three-decade-long career, Rahman has composed soundtrack for movies Ponniyin Selvan parts one and two, Enthiran, Sivaji: The Boss, Rangeela, Bombay, Taal, Yuvraj, and Rockstar, among others.

He won two Oscars for Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire in 2009 — best original score and best original song. Rahman also won a Grammy as well as a Golden Globe for his work on the Danny Boyle directorial. 

(With agency inputs)