The Oscar awardee and ace Indian music composer AR Rahman, 56, has denied allegations made by the Association of Surgeons of India and has taken a strong stance by filing a legal case of defamation against them for maligning his name and reputation.
Rahman's counsel has requested compensation of INR 100 million to rectify the damage caused by the defamatory accusations, and has also urged the complainants to withdraw their complaint within three days.
The "Mozart of Madras" has asked the association to tender an unconditional apology within 15 days. He clarified that he didn't receive the money and that there was a third party involved in the matter whom he was not aware of.
Last month, Rahman, who gained immense popularity for his stunning music in the Tamil film Roja (1992), became embroiled in a storm of controversy when his Chennai concert Marakkum Nenjam at the Adityaram Palace triggered accusations of mismanagement and harassment.
The organisers sold more than 50,000 tickets for the event, which had a capacity of 20,000 people. Some concertgoers even alleged that they were denied entry to the event despite having tickets.
While several people who attended the concert reported experiencing a stampede-like situation, many women claimed that they faced harassment and molestation at the venue.
Rahman took to X (formerly Twitter) and said that refunds would be initiated for those who could not attend the event despite purchasing tickets.
However, he did not react to the allegations of molestation levelled by the victims.