Numerous spectators are disappointed after the Pune police cut short AR Rahman’s concert.
Acting tough, the Pune Police interrupted an Oscar-winning composer’s mega-concert in the middle of it, disappointing thousands of audience members and his followers. The occurrence took place late on Sunday night.
Thousands of admirers swayed or danced to some of the greatest songs from Rahman’s more than 30 years of musical endeavours during the mammoth performance, which took place at a huge open-air arena next to Rajbahadur Mills. However, at 10 o’clock, a senior police officer signalled for the show’s organisers to end it immediately because it had gone over the allotted time limit by waving a torch on the stage.
At that point, 56-year-old AR Rahman was in the middle of his superhit song, “Chal Chaiyya, Chaiyya,” when the policeman approached him, pointed to his wristwatch, and demanded that the performance halt immediately. The legendary music director obeyed.
The enraged official approached one of the musicians and informed them that they would be held accountable for breaking the rules of the time if they did not stop playing as several of the musicians seemed to disregard the order and carry on. The concertgoers in the crowd, who had been enjoying it for more than two hours, reacted angrily when the policeman entered the stage and announced the concert’s termination.
For his part, AR Rahman, who became famous for his timeless music in the film “Roja” (1992), quietly exited the stage without making a scene or remark. The event had completed and the stadium had been evacuated this morning without additional incident, but the crowd continued to express their displeasure as the venue’s lights went out minutes later.