MUMBAI, India (AP) — In an event marked by unparalleled opulence, Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, wed his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, early Saturday. The lavish ceremony drew global celebrities, business magnates, and politicians, underscoring the formidable wealth and influence of the Ambani dynasty.
The nuptial rituals, which included traditional Hindu practices like exchanging garlands and circumnavigating a sacred fire, commenced on Friday and concluded past midnight. The celebrations unfolded at the Ambani-owned Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, as well as the family’s residence. This grand wedding capped months of elaborate events featuring performances by international pop icons such as Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
The four-day festivities kicked off with the traditional Hindu wedding rites on Friday and will extend through the weekend with a magnificent reception. According to local media, the guest list boasted names such as former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H. Nasser, and celebrities like Adele, Lana Del Rey, Drake, and David Beckham. The Ambani family has not publicly confirmed the guest list.
News channels showcased a parade of stars including Kim Kardashian in a striking red ensemble and professional wrestler-turned-actor John Cena arriving at the event. International attendees donned traditional Indian attire crafted by renowned designers: Cena sported a sky-blue sherwani and white pants, while Nick Jonas was seen in a pink sherwani paired with white trousers.
To manage the influx of high-profile guests arriving in Mumbai, authorities implemented traffic diversions around the wedding venue from Friday to Monday. This was amidst heavy monsoon rains that had led to flooding and disrupted flights over the past week.
The spectacle and display of extreme wealth have sparked conversations about the escalating inequality in India, highlighting the growing chasm between the affluent and the underprivileged. Some Mumbai locals, dealing with the resultant traffic chaos, voiced their frustration. “It affects our earnings. I don’t care much about the wedding,” remarked Vikram, a taxi driver who goes by a single name.
Mukesh Ambani, father of the groom, ranks as the ninth-richest individual globally with a net worth of $116 billion, as per Forbes. His conglomerate, Reliance Industries, boasts an annual revenue exceeding $100 billion and spans industries from petrochemicals to retail and telecommunications.
The Ambani family’s assets are vast and varied, including a $1 billion, 27-story family compound in Mumbai, equipped with three helipads, a 160-car garage, and a private cinema. Anant Ambani, 29, steers the conglomerate’s ventures into renewable and green energy and oversees a 3,000-acre animal rescue sanctuary in Jamnagar, Gujarat, the family’s hometown. Radhika Merchant, also 29, is the marketing director at Encore Healthcare, a pharmaceuticals company owned by her father Viren Merchant.
Critics argue that Ambani’s ascent has been buoyed by political connections, both during the Congress Party’s dominance in the 1970s and 1980s and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government post-2014.
The pre-wedding celebrations were equally extravagant. In March, the Ambani family hosted a three-day prenuptial extravaganza attended by 1,200 guests, including global leaders, tech moguls, and Bollywood stars, with performances by Rihanna, Akon, and Coachella sensation Diljit Dosanjh. Tech titans Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates were also in attendance.
May saw another grand gesture as the family treated guests to a three-day Mediterranean cruise from Italy to France featuring a Katy Perry concert and a performance by Pitbull. Additionally, they organized a mass wedding in July for more than 50 underprivileged couples as part of the festivities.
Just last week, Justin Bieber headlined a pre-wedding concert attended by hundreds, along with Bollywood luminaries Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Salman Khan.
Mukesh Ambani’s penchant for dazzling pre-wedding events is well-documented. In 2018, Beyoncé performed at celebrations for his daughter’s wedding, which also saw the attendance of former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, mingling with Indian and Bollywood elite in Udaipur.
