Photo Credit:PR Handout
After seven months of opulent pre-wedding celebrations, Anant Ambani, the son of India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, tied the knot with pharmaceutical heiress Radhika Merchant in a grand ceremony attended by thousands of guests on Friday.
The star-studded event in Mumbai drew numerous high-profile attendees, including Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, and former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson. Indian celebrities from various fields, such as Bollywood stars Rajinikanth and Sanjay Dutt, former President Ram Nath Kovind, and several chief ministers and cricket team members, were also present.
The Ambani family, behind India's largest private corporation, Reliance Industries, spared no expense for the celebration. Mukesh Ambani, Anant's father, boasts a net worth exceeding $122 billion, according to Forbes.
Despite rain in Mumbai, the city prepared for the event with police closing roads near the 16,000-capacity Jio World Convention Center, owned by the Ambanis. Guests arrived in lavish attire, with custom sarees, lehengas, and kurtas on display, potentially setting new trends in Indian wedding fashion. International attendees honored the traditional dress code, with John Cena in an embroidered sherwani and Nick Jonas in a sequined pink outfit, both complemented by their partners' vibrant Indian ensembles.
Inside the venue, transformed into a replica of the holy Indian city of Varanasi, celebrities including Chopra and Cena were seen dancing and enjoying the festivities. The Ambani family, alongside Indian singer Daler Mehndi, performed on stage, while Afrobeats star Rema entertainedthe crowd with his hit song "Calm Down."
Anant arrived on the red carpet in a golden sherwani paired with sneakers, later changing for the ceremony. Radhika dazzled in hand-embroidered bridal couture by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, following the Gujarati tradition with a red and white ensemble. Her outfit featured a 16-foot-long veil adorned with stones and sequins and a seven-foot-long detachable train, as shared by her stylist Rhea Kapoor.
Nita Ambani, Anant's mother, shared on social media her hopes for the wedding to reflect the purity and beauty of Varanasi, with the event showcasing India's rich culture and heritage.
The couple's wedding marks the conclusion of an extensive series of celebrations, which included a celebrity-filled engagement party in January, a communal dinner for over 50,000 villagers, and a 1,200-guest pre-wedding bash in March. The festivities also featured a Mediterranean cruise in May, with performances by the Backstreet Boys and Pitbull.
Despite the extravagance, the Ambani family's spending has drawn mixedreactions. Some locals criticized the opulence, while others appreciated the economic boost it provided. With months of celebrations leading up to the wedding, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's nuptials have certainly been the event of the year in India.
