Asia’s Richest Man’s Son to Marry in One of India’s Most Extravagant Weddings

Global celebrities, business tycoons, and politicians began arriving in India’s financial capital on Friday to attend the wedding of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man. The event highlights the billionaire’s immense wealth and growing influence.

Anant Ambani, 29, is marrying his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, in what many have dubbed the wedding of the year. The celebrations are taking place at the Ambani-owned Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai and their family home. These festivities are the culmination of months of events that featured performances by popstars including Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

The four-day wedding celebrations kicked off with a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on Friday, followed by a grand reception through the weekend. The guest list reportedly includes former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H. Nasser, the Kardashians, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Drake, and David Beckham, according to local media.

The Ambani family has not confirmed the guest list.

Police have imposed traffic diversions from Friday to Monday around the wedding venue to manage the influx of guests arriving in the megacity of Mumbai, where heavy monsoon rains have caused flooding and flight disruptions over the past week.

Mukesh Ambani, 66, is the world’s ninth richest man with a net worth of $116 billion, according to Forbes. He is also the richest person in Asia. His Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, reporting over $100 billion in annual revenue, with interests ranging from petrochemicals and oil and gas to telecoms and retail.

The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-story private apartment building worth $1 billion in Mumbai. It boasts three helipads, a 160-car garage, and a private movie theater.

Anant Ambani oversees the conglomerate’s renewable and green energy expansion. He also runs a 3,000-acre (about 1,200-hectare) animal rescue center in Gujarat state’s Jamnagar, the family’s hometown.

The bride, Radhika Merchant, 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and is the marketing director for his company, Encore Healthcare, according to Vogue.

Critics of Mukesh Ambani assert that his company’s success has relied on political connections, citing prosperity during Congress party-led governments in the 1970s and 80s and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule after 2014. They argue that “crony capitalism” in India has enabled some corporations, including Ambani’s, to thrive.

The Ambani family’s pre-wedding celebrations have been nothing short of opulent and star-studded.

In March, they hosted a three-day prenuptial bash for Anant with 1,200 guests, including former world leaders, tech moguls, Bollywood megastars, and performances by Rihanna, Akon, and Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh, who gained international fame after performing at Coachella. The event was also attended by tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.

This event marked the beginning of lavish, months-long pre-wedding celebrations that have grabbed headlines and generated a social media frenzy.

In May, the family took guests on a three-day cruise from Italy to France, featuring Katy Perry singing her hit “Firework” and a performance by Pitbull, according to media reports.

The family also organized a mass wedding for more than 50 underprivileged couples on July 2 as part of the celebrations.

Last week, Justin Bieber performed for hundreds of guests at a private pre-wedding concert, which also included performances by Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Salman Khan.

Mukesh Ambani previously made headlines in 2018 when his daughter got married amid grand celebrations, with Beyoncé performing at the pre-wedding festivities. Former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among those who socialized with Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars in the western Indian city of Udaipur.

Source: Economic Times, Forbes, Vogue