AR Rahman trolled for his UK performance, ignites Hindi VS Tamil debate

Mozart of Madras may have composed hit tunes in Bollywood and as well as down south but when composer AR Rahman performed Tamil songs at his UK show, Hindi-speaking concert goers reportedly staged a walkout.

The show, titled "Netru Indru Nalai" ("Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow"), took place at the SSE Arena in London's Wembley Stadium on July 8. The members of the audience took to the social media to express their disappointment and displeasure, when Rahman and his troupe performed numbers, mostly in the Tamil language. Initially what started as some of the audience feeling duped by the organisers, as if they were promised the performances in Hindi and Urdu and how they felt let down by Rahman...but in the end it turned out to project the language divide. Rahman's concert was no longer the issue, as trolls were divided among Hindi speaking fans and the one who speak Tamil.

Apparently a Tamil musician singing Tamil songs at a Tamil concert is criminal #ARRahman #Wembley #ssearena #HindiImposition Enough already!

— Radha Ramanan (@iradharamanan) July 14, 2017

Apparently a Tamil musician singing Tamil songs at a Tamil concert is criminal #ARRahman #Wembley #ssearena #HindiImposition Enough already!

— Radha Ramanan (@iradharamanan) July 14, 2017

Need more Hindi Punjabi songs #ARRahman #Wembley #ssearena feels like come to a South Indian concert @arrahman

— Saurabh Sethi (@Saurabh_Sethi25) July 8, 2017

All hindi bigots who want refund back from #ARRahman got their own medicine back.
We pay taxes but hear only Hindi in every aspect of life.

— Peter Quinn (@Qsaxffo) July 14, 2017

Dear North Indians , With all due respect :) #ARRahman pic.twitter.com/PxgTqZvTxs

— Troll Cinema ( TC ) (@Troll_Cinema) July 14, 2017

 Rahman is all set to perform at the 18th edition of IIFA to celebrate 25 years of his musical journey, and was defended by his fans-followers and celebrities alike.

South Indian singer Chinmayi Sripada also took to Twitter where she came out in support of the award-winning composer by tagging the outrage by the fans as another show of intolerance and double standards.

When Rahman sir wins 2 Oscars and creates history, he is "An Indian", but 7-8 Tamil gaane kya gaa liye aap naraaz hote ho. What yaar?

— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) July 14, 2017

The show was called 'Netru Indru Naalai', had 65% Hindi songs (Set List is out there). Music knows no boundaries / language.

— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) July 14, 2017

Chase the American dream, your kids can Spanish; Live in the UK that once colonised India - but cry foul when a when you hear Tamil songs

— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) July 14, 2017

Mocking the Hindi-speaking crowd, stand-up comic Aravind SA did a wordplay on the line from Rahman's Academy Award- accepting speech, where he thanked The Almighty for his win. He wrote, "If AR Rahman won his Oscar today, I'm pretty sure some people would have wanted him to say - 'Sab Pugal Bhagwan ke liye'."

The music maestro chose not to comment on fans' outrage.