Mumbai, India — A wedding reception on Sunday wrapped up months of celebrations as the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, married his longtime girlfriend with a price tag running into the millions.
The newlyweds were cheered on by friends and relatives at Jio World Drive in Mumbai – a convention center built and owned by the Ambani family – as part of the “Mangal Utsav” (a festival of bliss) that marked what many called the wedding. of the year.
Anant Ambani married Radhika Merchant, daughter of pharmaceutical magnates Viren and Shaila Merchant. The wedding rituals, which included the couple exchanging garlands and walking around the sacred fire, started on Friday and concluded early on Saturday.
Former British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair, as well as Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, American wrestler and actor John Cena, Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan were among the celebrities who attended the ceremonies. Friday and Saturday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi blessed the newlyweds at a Saturday reception hosted by the Ambanis, highlighting the billionaire’s growing influence.
“This is the last and most auspicious ceremony and the last wedding in our family,” The Times of India newspaper quoted Mukesh Ambani as saying. The Ambanis declined to say how much they spent on the celebrations that have been going on for months.
During a three-day pre-wedding party in March, Rihanna and Akon performed for a star-studded guest list of 1,200.
A four-day European cruise in May included on-deck concerts by the Backstreet Boys and Pitbull, followed by a masquerade ball where Katy Perry sang. During last week’s traditional music night in Mumbai, Justin Bieber performed his music hits.
The groom’s father, Mukesh Ambani, is the ninth richest man in the world, with a net worth of $116 billion, according to Forbes. He is the richest person in Asia. His Reliance Industries is a conglomerate with annual revenues of more than $100 billion, with interests in petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecoms and retail.
The Ambani family owns, among other things, a 27-storey family complex in Mumbai worth $1 billion. The building contains three helipads, a garage for 160 cars and a private cinema.
The groom, 29-year-old Anant, oversees the conglomerate’s expansion into renewable and green energy. He also runs an animal sanctuary of about 1,200 hectares in Jamnagar, the family’s hometown, in the state of Gujarat.
The bride, also 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and is the marketing director of his company Encore Healthcare, according to Vogue.
Critics of Ambani say his company has relied on political connections during Congress-led governments in the 1970s and 1980s, and under Modi’s rule since 2014.
