NEW DELHI (AP) — In March, Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, launched a three-day bridal shower for his son, which featured a guest list of 1,200 people, including former world leaders, tech moguls and Bollywood megastars, as well as a performance by popular singer Rihanna.
This was just the beginning of their lavish months-long pre-wedding celebrations that made headlines and sparked a social media frenzy.
FILE – Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani, third left, poses with his family members and underprivileged couples during a mass wedding hosted by him as part of celebrations ahead of the wedding of his youngest son, Anant Ambani, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
In May, the family took their guests on a three-day pre-wedding cruise from Italy to France that included a DJ set from David Guetta, Katy Perry performing her hit “Firework” and a performance by Pitbull to cap it all off, according to reports.
Finally, the wedding is set for next week, with Anant Ambani, 29, marrying his long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant in what many have dubbed the wedding of the year.
Here’s what we know:
Who are the Ambanis?
The groom’s father is Mukesh Ambani, 66, currently the world’s 9th richest man with a net worth of $116 billion, according to Forbes. He is also the richest person in Asia.
His company Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, with annual revenues of more than $100 billion, with interests ranging from petrochemicals to oil and gas, telecommunications and retail.
FILE – Nita Ambani, left, wife of Mukesh Ambani, with her son Anant Ambani, center right, and his fiancee Radhika Merchant, second left, greet guests during their pre-nuptial ceremony at their residence in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a private 27-storey apartment building called Antila, worth $1 billion in Mumbai. It has three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private cinema, a swimming pool and a fitness centre.
Ambani’s critics say his business flourished mainly because of his political connections during Congress governments in the 1970s and 1980s and then under Prime Minister Narendra Modi after 2014. They say “crony capitalism” in India has helped some companies, like Ambani’s, thrive.
The family patriarch has begun passing the torch to his two sons and daughter. The eldest son, Akash Ambani, is now chairman of Reliance Jio, their telecom company; his daughter, Isha, oversees retail, while the groom Anant, the youngest, has been inducted into the new energy company.
Who are the bride and groom?
Anant holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, according to Reliance Industries’ website, and oversees the conglomerate’s renewable and green energy expansion.
He also runs a 3,000-acre animal rescue centre called Vantara in Jamnagar, Gujarat state, the family’s hometown where guests spent days celebrating in March at the extravagant pre-wedding party.
FILE – Decorations are seen outside Antilla, the residence of Mukesh Ambani, during a pre-wedding ceremony of his son Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
The bride, Radhika Merchant, 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and is the marketing director of his company, Encore Healthcare, according to Vogue.
She told the magazine that the two were introduced through mutual friends in 2017. “That first meeting sparked something special between us, and it wasn’t long before we started dating,” she said.
When is the wedding and what is expected?
The main wedding ceremony is scheduled for July 12, followed by a grand reception on July 14, according to local media reports. The celebrations are expected to take place between Ambani’s Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai and their family home.
The dates are said to have been chosen based on the couple’s birth charts, as is Hindu custom, and deemed auspicious. True to tradition, the wedding will be preceded by several days of traditional wedding ceremonies and rituals.
FILE – Anant Ambani, left, and Radhika Merchant pose for photographers during their pre-nuptial ceremony in Mumbai, India, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)
Indian social media was abuzz with videos of the couple’s sangeet on Friday, a ceremony in which the bride and groom’s families perform dances for guests. It also featured performances by Bollywood stars like Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Salman Khan as well as Justin Bieber, who traveled to Mumbai for the event, according to local media reports.
The family too organized a mass wedding for more than 50 disadvantaged couples last week as part of pre-wedding celebrations.
Extravagant parties are the Ambanis’ specialty and next week’s events are expected to attract more celebrities, billionaires and world leaders.
In March, the pre-wedding party featured guests Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, former leaders of Canada and Qatar, and Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. In addition to Rihanna, Akon and Diljit Dosanjh, a Punjabi singer who shot to international fame after performing at Coachella, also took to the stage.
In 2018, when his daughter got married, Ambani made headlines for the grand pre-wedding celebrations, with pop sensation Beyoncé performing at the pre-wedding festivities. At the time, former US secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among those who rubbed shoulders with Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars in the western Indian city of Udaipur.