Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, hosted a three-day prenuptial bash for his son in March. The event drew 1,200 guests, including previous global leaders, tech tycoons, and Bollywood megastars. Rihanna also sang.
It was just the beginning of their months-long expensive pre-wedding parties, which have made headlines and sparked a social media frenzy.
In May, the family hosted a 3-day pre-wedding cruise from Italy to France, featuring a DJ set by David Guetta, Katy Perry’s popular song “Firework,” and a performance by Pitbull, according to media reports.
Finally, the wedding is slated for next week, with Anant Ambani, 29, marrying his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, in what many are calling the wedding of the year.
Here’s what we know:
Who are the Ambanis?
The groom’s father is Mukesh Ambani, 66, who is presently the world’s ninth richest man, with $116 billion, according to Forbes. He is also the wealthiest person in Asia.
His Reliance Industries is a vast conglomerate with over $100 billion in annual revenue and holdings ranging from petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecoms, and retailing.
Among other assets, the Ambani family owns a 27-story private residential building in Mumbai called Antila, which is valued $1 billion. It features three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private movie theater, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.
Critics argue that Ambani’s company’s success stems from political connections under Congress governments in the 1970s and 80s, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s control after 2014. According to some, “crony capitalism” in India has aided the growth of particular firms, including Ambani’s.
The family patriarch has begun to transmit the torch to his two sons and daughter. The oldest son, Akash Ambani, is now chairman of Reliance Jio, their telecoms company; his daughter, Isha, manages retail; and the groom, Anant, the youngest, has been appointed to the new energy firm.
Who are the bride and groom?
According to the Reliance Industries website, Anant holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and is in charge of the conglomerate’s renewable and green energy operations.
He also manages a 3,000-acre (almost 1,200-hectare) animal rescue sanctuary named Vantara in the family’s homeland of Jamnagar, Gujarat. In March, guests spent days reveling in the grandiose pre-wedding party.
The bride, Radhika Merchant, 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical mogul Viren Merchant and the marketing director for his company, Encore Healthcare, according to Vogue.
She told the publication that the two met through mutual friends in 2017. “That first meeting just sparked something special between us, and it wasn’t long before we started dating,” she explained.
When’s the wedding and what’s expected?
The primary wedding ceremony is scheduled for July 12, followed by a spectacular reception on July 14, according to local media. The celebrations are anticipated to take place at Ambani’s Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai, as well as their family home.
The dates were apparently picked according to the couple’s birth charts, as is customary in Hindu culture, and were thought auspicious. In keeping with custom, the wedding will be preceded by many days of traditional wedding ceremonies and rituals.
On Friday, Indian social media was buzzing with recordings from the couple’s sangeet, a ritual in which the bride and groom’s family perform dances for the guests. Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Salman Khan, and Justin Bieber performed at the event, according to local media.
As part of the pre-wedding festivities, the family hosted a mass wedding for more than 50 disadvantaged couples last week.
The Ambanis are known for throwing extravagant parties, and the events next week are likely to attract even more celebrities, billionaires, and international leaders.
The guest list for the pre-wedding event in March featured Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, previous Canadian and Qatari presidents, as well as Bollywood A-list stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. In addition to Rihanna, Akon and Diljit Dosanjh, a Punjabi musician who rose to international stardom after performing at Coachella, took the stage.
In 2018, when his daughter married, Ambani made headlines for the lavish celebrations, which included music sensation Beyoncé performing at the pre-wedding festivities. Former US Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry met Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars in Udaipur, western India.