Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant got married on Friday, with A-listers flying in to Mumbai for the grand weekend celebrations.
Anant, the son of India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is married to his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant.
The couple kicked off the celebrations with a traditional Hindu ceremony on Friday, but it was the attendees there who attracted more media attention than any other wedding this year.
Taking to the social media platform, celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Justin Bieber and Hollywood actor and wrestler John Cena joined in the fun-filled event.
So did many other politicians, including former British prime ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair, former US Secretary of State John Kerry, former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt.
Indian media reported that business leaders in attendance included Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Lee, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet.
According to Reuters, Mukesh Ambani has hired 100 planes, including three Falcon 2000 jets, to ferry guests to the party.
Who is Mukesh Ambani?
Mukesh Ambani, 67, Reliance Industries, It has operations in petrochemicals, oil and gas, communications, retail and financial services.
According to Forbes magazine’s rich list, his fortune exceeds $123 billion (€113 billion), ranking him as the 11th richest person in the world.
He is also a key ally of right-wing Hindu nationalist leaders in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ambani’s critics say the company’s success was largely due to political connections made during the Congress government in the 1970s and 1980s and under Modi’s government since 2014.
big indian wedding
A recent report by Outlook estimated the entire wedding would cost between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000 crore (around $600 million), just 0.5% of the Ambani family’s net worth.
Anant’s engagement ceremony was held privately at a temple in the northern state of Rajasthan, but was followed by a series of celebrations featuring performances by pop stars including Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
In March, Mukesh Ambani hosted a pre-wedding party for the couple in Gujarat state, attended by around 1,200 people from around the world, including tech tycoons Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, and former US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka.
According to Indian media reports, singer Rihanna charged between $8 million and $9 million to perform at the event.
In May, the Ambanis and their guests embarked on a four-day luxury cruise to Europe.
In early July, Ambani and his wife Nita hosted a mass wedding for 50 underprivileged couples ahead of their son’s wedding.
Last week, Canadian singer Justin Bieber performed as part of the billionaire heir’s latest pre-wedding festivities.
mk, dvv/sms, rm (AP, AFP, Reuters)
