Stars steal the show at Anant Ambani’s wedding – DW – 07/13/2024

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant got married on Friday in a ceremony that saw A-list stars jet off to Mumbai for a big weekend of celebrations.

Anant is the son of Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man. He is married to his long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant, daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant.

Although the couple began their celebrations with a traditional Hindu ceremony on Friday, it was the guests in the room who captured the media’s attention like any other wedding this year.

Social media platforms witnessed the participation of Priyanka Chopra, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and Hollywood actor and wrestler John Cena in the celebration.

As did a large number of political figures, such as 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.

Among the business leaders present were Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Lee, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet, according to Indian media.

According to Reuters, Mukesh Ambani has chartered 100 aircraft, including three Falcon 2000s, to ferry his guests to the party.

Who is Mukesh Ambani?

Mukesh Ambani, 67, is the chairman of Reliance Industries Which has interests in the petrochemical, oil and gas, telecommunications, retail and financial services sectors.

With a fortune estimated at over $123 billion (€113 billion), he is ranked the 11th richest person in the world, according to the Forbes Billionaires List.

He is also an important ally of India’s right-wing Hindu nationalist leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ambani’s critics have said his company flourished mainly because of political connections during the Congress governments of the 1970s and 1980s and later under Modi since 2014.

Big Indian Wedding

A recent report by Outlook estimated the entire wedding cost around Rs 4-5 billion (about $600 million), which is just 0.5% of the Ambani family’s net worth.

Although Anant’s engagement ceremony was a private event at a temple in the northern state of Rajasthan, it was followed by a series of celebratory events that included performances by pop stars, including Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

In March, Mukesh Ambani hosted a wedding for the couple in Gujarat state, attended by nearly 1,200 people from across the world, including tech moguls Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg and former US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka.

Some Indian media reports stated that singer Rihanna was paid between $8 and $9 million for her performance at the event.

In May, the Ambani family and their guests embarked on a four-day luxury cruise in Europe.

In early July, Ambani and his wife Nita hosted a mass wedding for 50 poor couples ahead of their son’s wedding.

Last week, Canadian singer Justin Bieber performed a concert as part of the billionaire heir’s latest pre-wedding celebrations.

mk, dvv/sms, rm (AP, AFP, Reuters)