Asia’s Richest Man’s Son Weds in Year’s Most Extravagant Ceremony

MUMBAI, India — Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, married his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant early Saturday. The wedding, widely deemed the event of the year, drew notable global celebrities, business magnates, and politicians, underscoring the immense wealth and influence of the Ambani family.

The wedding rituals, encompassing the exchange of garlands and walking around the sacred fire, began on Friday and continued past midnight.

The celebrations took place at Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre, owned by the Ambani family, and their residence. This elaborate event followed months of festivities that included performances by international pop stars such as Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

Starting Friday, the four-day wedding festival began with a traditional Hindu ceremony and will culminate in a grand reception over the weekend. Distinguished guests included 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, as reported by local media. Notably, the Ambani family did not confirm the guest list.

News channels broadcast images of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, who arrived in a red ensemble, and wrestler-turned-actor John Cena making their entrance.

Kim and Khloé Kardashian even took a motorized rickshaw ride through Mumbai’s vibrant streets on Friday before joining the wedding ceremonies, as reported by the Press Trust of India news agency.

International guests embraced traditional Indian attire designed by major local fashion designers. Men wore embroidered sherwanis, long-sleeved outer coats typical in South Asia. John Cena appeared in a sky-blue sherwani paired with white pants, while Nick Jonas opted for a pink sherwani with white pants.

Bollywood legends such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor were also present, dancing to popular Hindi movie songs. Renowned Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav, were among the attendees.

Due to the anticipated influx of guests, Mumbai police enforced traffic diversions around the wedding venue from Friday to Monday. The city has been experiencing heavy monsoon rains, resulting in flooding and disrupting flights over the past week.

The extravagance of the event has sparked conversations about the increasing wealth disparity in India, where the rich-poor gap is widening. Many Mumbai residents expressed frustration over the consequent traffic snarls.

“It affects our earnings. I don’t care much about the wedding,” remarked Vikram, a local taxi driver.

The groom’s father, Mukesh Ambani, holds a net worth of $116 billion, making him the world’s ninth-richest person, according to Forbes. His conglomerate, Reliance Industries, generates over $100 billion in annual revenue, with interests in petrochemicals, oil, gas, telecoms, and retail.

The Ambani family also owns a 27-story residence in Mumbai valued at $1 billion, equipped with three helipads, a 160-car garage, and a private movie theater.

Anant Ambani, 29, oversees the renewable and green energy division at Reliance Industries. He also manages a 3,000-acre animal rescue center in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, the family’s hometown.

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

Critics of Mukesh Ambani argue that his company’s success has been significantly influenced by political connections during past Congress Party-led governments in the 1970s and ’80s, and more recently, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration after 2014.

The Ambani family’s wedding celebrations have been opulent and filled with star power from the beginning.

In March, they hosted a three-day prenuptial event for Anant, featuring 1,200 guests, including former world leaders, tech tycoons, and Bollywood megastars. Performers included Rihanna, Akon, and Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh, who gained international fame after performing at Coachella. Tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates were also in attendance.

These lavish pre-wedding celebrations made headlines and ignited a frenzy on social media.

In May, the family treated guests to a three-day cruise from Italy to France, featuring a performance by Katy Perry singing her hit song “Firework” and another by Pitbull.

Additionally, in a show of philanthropy, the family arranged a mass wedding for over 50 underprivileged couples on July 2 as part of the celebrations.

Last week, Justin Bieber performed for hundreds at a pre-wedding concert that saw Bollywood stars like Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Salman Khan take the stage.

The Ambanis had previously garnered attention in 2018 when Beyoncé performed at pre-wedding festivities for Ambani’s daughter. Former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among the attendees, mingling with Indian celebrities in Udaipur.

Source: AP News, Press Trust of India