AR Rahman’s UK concert disappointed fans, 5 reasons which explain why you are ignorant if you were among them

Recently many fans of AR Rahman were disappointed with his performance when he performed at Wembley because his list didn't include many/ any hindi songs. So here are five reasons why you shouldn't be surprised by AR Rahman's set list, especially if you claim to be his fan.

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Twitterati erupted in support of and against the AR Rahman concert.

If you are one of the many clueless individuals on Twitter right now and are wondering how fans could ever come out of an AR Rahman concert unhappy, the Hindi-speaking community has made the impossible possible. #ssearena and #wembley are trending on Twitter as many fans of Mozart of Madras came out of the concert disappointed because the set list of the concert did not contain any/many Hindi songs depending on the person tweeting.

It doesn’t help that Hindi is being forced upon south Indians through new laws as it is the ‘National language’. So Twitterati erupted in support of and against the concert. The south Indian community, which doesn’t speak Hindi much (isn’t that the perception at least?) wonders how music lovers could be so biased. And the ensuing Twitter battle has left onlookers rolling on the floor in splits. So here are five reasons why you shouldn’t be surprised by AR Rahman’s set list, especially if you claim to be his fan.

1. The title Mozart of Madras was given to him by fans for his heart-touching music because the composer is from Madras, which is today’s Chennai. This happens to be the capital of Tamil Nadu where people speak Tamil.

2. If that wasn’t reason enough, the concert title was ‘Netru Indru Nalai’. Well, this means yesterday, today, tomorrow. The language is Tamil. Not just us, but Twitterati also wonder what the Hindi speaking people thought this meant. A complete set of memorable Hindi songs from his illustrious career?

3. Well, if that wasn’t convincing enough, one only has to look at his work. Roja, directed by Mani Ratnam (who also happens to south Indian) was AR Rahman’s debut album in film industry. It might be a popular movie in Hindi, but it is originally Tamil, which was dubbed in Hindi.

4. If you had been ignorant of all these, because it is ignorance if you didn’t know this, we are sure you watched the moment when AR Rahman was awarded the Oscar, or for that matter any award ceremony where he was given an award. He dedicates it to God by saying, “Ella Pugazhum Iraivanukke”. Google AR Rahman Oscar and you will spot it.

See what people wrote on Twitter about AR Rahman;s concert:

#ARRahman SINGS a lot of Tamil songs and suddenly all HINDI folks erupt, lol guys that’s the same feel when u want ur HINDI all over south.

— VID (@ItsmeVID) July 11, 2017

#ARRahman concert: Never seen so much #dissapointment & #masswalkouts. Approx 1% of songs in Hindi. #ssearena filled on #falseadvertising

— Gautam Vaidya (@gautamvaidya) July 8, 2017

Lovely to see @arrahman but all the songs are in Tamil! What about your Hindi/Bollywood fans? #ARRahman #london

— nazia chishty (@Nazoo_Chishty) July 8, 2017

#ARRahman very disapointed with the concert tonight in Wembley. Waited for a very long time to be disappointed. Not expected from a legend

— Archana Sawant (@archana_ssawant) July 8, 2017

So Amits heard 16 Hindi songs and 12 Tamil songs and now want a refund. 😂😂😂 https://t.co/37HMw6UFAr

— Vinay Aravind (@vinayaravind) July 12, 2017

We must demand refund of tax paid to Indian Govt as we dont get service in my Langauge @asaravanan21 #stopHindiImposition #ARRahman

— ಅರುಣ್ ಜಾವಗಲ್Arun J (@ajavgal) July 13, 2017

This is how v feel when Hindi is imposed or Hindi songs r in list in Yuva Dasara Mysuru or Hindi is heard in flight announcement.#ARRahman

— Abhi Nandan (@Abhinandan248) July 13, 2017

Hindis want concert ticket refund coz #ARRahman sang Tamil songs. NonHindi states be refunded for taxes that subsidize Hindi states frm 1947

— Garga Chatterjee (@GargaC) July 13, 2017
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5. And lastly, it is important to accept as fans of not just AR Rahman, but also music, that language is never a barrier. So whether AR Rahman sings “Dil Se Re” or “Kannire” – watching him perform live is an experience in itself.

You might have concluded that there were no Hindi songs performed at the concert. However, this musician is above all that. From “Kun Faya” – one of the most loved compositions to “Patakha Gudi” in Highway, there were quite a few tracks that were performed.

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