MUMBAI, India (AP) — Global celebrities, business tycoons and politicians began arriving in India’s financial capital on Friday to attend the wedding of the youngest son of India’s prime minister. Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest manIt highlighted the staggering wealth and growing influence of billionaires.
Anant Ambani, 29, is marrying his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant in what many are calling the wedding of the year. The ceremony, which will take place at Ambani’s Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai and their family home, will be the culmination of months of wedding festivities that included appearances by pop stars such as Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
The four-day wedding festivities will kick off with a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on Friday, followed by a grand reception over the weekend. Local media reports that the guest list includes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Boris Johnson, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H. Nasser, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Drake and David Beckham. The Ambani family has yet to confirm the guest list.
Television news channels showed the arrival of celebrities including Kim Kardashian and professional wrestler and Hollywood actor John Cena.
Police ordered traffic diversions around the wedding venue from Friday to Monday to accommodate the influx of guests arriving by plane into Mumbai, where heavy monsoon rains have caused flooding and air disruptions since last week.
But the pomp and circumstance surrounding the wedding have raised questions for many about growing inequality in India, where the gap between rich and poor is widening. The event has also angered Mumbai residents who say they are plagued by traffic congestion.
“It will affect my income. I’m not really interested in weddings,” said Vikram, a taxi driver who gave only his first name.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia Mansion is lit up ahead of the wedding of his son Anant Ambani to Radhika Merchant, in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Anant Ambani, left, and Radhika Merchant pose for photographers during a pre-wedding ceremony in Mumbai, India, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
The groom’s father, Mukesh Ambani (66), is the ninth richest man in the world with a net worth of $116 billion, according to Forbes magazine. He is also the richest man in Asia. Ambani’s Reliance Industries is a huge conglomerate with annual sales of over $100 billion, and is involved in a wide range of businesses, from petrochemicals, oil and gas to telecommunications and retail.
Among other assets, the Ambanis own a 27-story family mansion in Mumbai worth $1 billion, which includes three helipads, a 160-car garage, and a private cinema.
Ambani’s son, Anant, oversees the conglomerate’s renewable and green energy expansion, which also runs a 3,000-acre animal rescue center in the family’s hometown of Jamnagar, Gujarat.
According to Vogue magazine, the bride, Radhika Merchant, 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and serves as marketing director for his company Encore Healthcare.
Ambani’s critics say he has relied on political connections during Congress-led governments in the 1970s and 1980s, and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule since 2014.
The Ambani family’s pre-wedding celebrations were lavish and star-studded.
In March they 3-day pre-wedding party The ceremony for his son was attended by 1,200 guests including former world leaders, tech moguls and Bollywood A-listers, and featured performances by Rihanna, Akon and Diljit Dosanjh, the Punjabi singer who rose to global fame for his performances at Coachella. Tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates also attended.
It was the start of months of lavish pre-wedding celebrations that grabbed headlines and caused a social media frenzy.
People walk past the illuminated Antilia Mansion ahead of the wedding of Anant Ambani, son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant, in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
According to media reports, in May, the family took guests on a three-day cruise from Italy to France, where Katy Perry sang her hit song “Firework” and Pitbull performed.
The family has also organised a mass wedding for over 50 underprivileged couples on July 2 as part of the celebrations.
Last week, Justin Bieber performed in front of hundreds of guests at a pre-wedding concert that also included performances from Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Salman Khan.
Ambani also made headlines in 2018 when Beyoncé performed at his daughter’s pre-wedding celebrations. In the western Indian city of Udaipur, former U.S. secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and John Kerry mingled with Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars.
