- author, Zoya Matin and Meryl Sebastian
- Role, BBC News in Delhi and Kochi
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After months of lavish celebrations, the wedding of the son of Asia’s richest man has finally begun in the Indian city of Mumbai.
Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, is marrying Radhika Merchant, daughter of pharmaceutical magnates Viren and Shilan Merchant.
The four-day celebration is the latest stop in a series of elaborate parties the family has hosted since March, which have included performances from pop stars including Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
International guests included reality TV star Kim Kardashian and former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson. American wrestler and actor John Cena was also seen hugging and congratulating the host’s relatives.
Major roads in Mumbai will be closed for several hours each day until the celebrations end on Monday.
Social media is abuzz with updates about the wedding, with people sharing minute details of the arrival of Bollywood stars and celebrities.
But this extraordinary wealth has also led to backlash, with city residents complaining that road closures have exacerbated traffic jams caused by seasonal flooding, while others question the lavish display of wealth at the seemingly endless celebrations.
The world’s 10th richest man keeps quiet about costs
According to Forbes, Mukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the world’s 10th richest man with a net worth of $115 billion. His father founded Reliance Industries in 1966, a conglomerate with interests in sectors ranging from oil and retail to financial services and telecommunications.
Anant Ambani is the youngest of his three sons, all of whom are directors of Reliance Industries. The 29-year-old Anant is involved in Reliance’s energy business and is on the board of Reliance Foundation.
The Ambanis have not disclosed the cost of the wedding, but wedding planners estimate that they have already spent between Rs 11 billion and Rs 13 billion. [$132m-$156m]Rihanna was rumoured to have been paid $7 million (£5.5 million) for her performance, while the suggested figure for Justin Bieber is $10 million.
An unnamed Reliance executive claimed the event was a “powerful symbol of India’s growing stature on the global stage” in a note shared with reporters.
But opposition politician Thomas Isaac described it as “outrageous”.
“This may be their money legally, but such lavish spending is a sin against Mother Earth and the poor,” he posted on X.
walking around the holy fire
On Friday, the groom set off from his residence in a luxurious red car covered with strings of white flowers, amidst the joyful guests dancing around it.
He was followed by a procession of cars, also decorated with flowers and carrying family members, amid music and cheers.
The grand procession, known as the “baraat”, ended at the wedding venue – a conference centre owned by the Ambani family – where several Bollywood stars joined in another round of singing and dancing.
Reports say the bride and groom will exchange wreaths at the start of the wedding. The main wedding ceremony, which involves the couple walking around the sacred fire seven times, is scheduled to begin at 21:30 (16:00 GMT).
Guests will reportedly bless the newlyweds at a formal ceremony on Saturday – followed by a big bash where unconfirmed reports say pop stars Drake, Lana Del Rey and Adele are likely to perform.
Guests are transported around the world by private jet.
Pictures and videos of Kim Kardashian in the city with her sister Khloe Kardashian are widely circulating online.
The sisters reportedly brought a team of hairstylists, including celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, along with a group of producers to capture every detail of their trip.
The wedding was also attended by former Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron, and US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti.
Rajan Mehra, chief executive of charter company Club One Air, told Reuters the family had chartered three Falcon 2000 jets to fly wedding guests to the ceremony.
“Guests come from everywhere and each plane will make multiple trips across the country,” he said.
Image source, Getty Images
The wedding celebrations began in March when the family held a three-day wedding in their native Gujarat state.
Among the 1,200 guests who attended the celebration were Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Meta, and Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.
The show kicked off with a performance by Rihanna on the first night. Diljit Dosanjh, the first Punjabi singer to perform at Coachella, took the stage on the second night, while rapper Akon closed the show on the final day of the festivities.
Luxury cruise and group wedding
In June, the Ambani family threw another pre-wedding celebration, this time on a luxury cruise from Italy to France. The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and Pitbull performed for 800 guests, including Bollywood stars and cricketers.
The money was also spent lavishly on building 14 temples within a sprawling complex in Jamnagar to showcase India’s cultural heritage and provide a backdrop for the wedding. As part of the celebrations, the Ambanis hosted a mass wedding for 50 underprivileged couples.
On Wednesday, the family hosted a community festival for the underprivileged.