MUMBAI.- He son younger than Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in Asiamarried his longtime girlfriend on Saturday – July 13 – in what many called the boda of the year, attended by world celebrities, business moguls and politicians, highlighting the billionaire’s staggering wealth and growing influence.
The wedding rituals, including the bride and groom exchanging garlands and walking around the sacred fire, began on Friday and were completed after midnight.
The wedding celebrations for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant took place at the Ambani-owned Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai and at the family home. The wedding capped months of wedding events that featured performances by stars including Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a reception hosted by the Ambanis on Saturday evening.
The Ambanis hosted a blessing ceremony for friends and family to meet the couple and wish them a happy married life.
India Today news channel reported that the newlyweds touched Modi’s feet as a sign of respect and sought his blessings.
Guests at Mukesh Ambani’s son’s wedding
The four-day celebrations began on Friday with a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony and were followed by a grand reception that lasted all weekend. The guest list included former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson; former US special envoy for climate John Kerry; Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H. Nasser; and celebrities such as Adele, Lana Del Rey, Drake, David Beckham, among others, according to local media. The Ambani family did not confirm the guest list.
Television news channels showed the arrivals of celebrities such as sisters Khlo and Kim Kardashian and the arrival of professional wrestler and Hollywood actor John Cena.
The Kardashian sisters strolled through the bustling streets of Mumbai on Friday before joining in the wedding ceremonies, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
The international guests wore traditional clothes by leading Indian fashion designers. They wore embroidered sherwanis, jackets worn by men in South Asia. Cena arrived in a sky blue sherwani and white pants. Nick Jonas wore a pink sherwani and white pants.
Bollywood icons Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor also attended the wedding and danced to popular Indian movie songs. Guests included iconic Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.
Criticism for social inequality in India
Police have diverted traffic around the wedding venue from Friday until today – July 15 – to handle the influx of guests who flew into Mumbai, where heavy monsoon rains have caused flooding and flight disruptions over the past week.
The pageantry and display of opulence accompanying the wedding have led many to raise questions about rising inequality in India, where the gap between rich and poor is widening. The event has also sparked anger among some Mumbai residents over traffic.
It affects our earnings. I don’t care much about the wedding, said Vikram, a taxi driver who uses one name.
The ninth richest man in the world
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 wealthiest person in Asia. His Reliance Industries is a conglomerate that reports more than $100 billion in annual revenue, with interests that include petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecommunications and retail.
The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-storey complex in Mumbai valued at 1 billion dollars. The building has three helipads, a garage for 160 cars and a private cinema room.
The groom, Anant, 29, oversees the conglomerate’s expansion of renewable and green energy. He also runs a 3,000-acre animal rescue centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat state, the family’s hometown.
The bride, Radhika Merchant, also 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical magnate Viren Merchant and is a director of marketing of his company, Encore Healthcare, Vogue reports.
Ambani’s critics say his company has relied on political connections during Congress-led governments in the 1970s and 1980s, and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi after 2014.
The pre-wedding celebrations were lavish and celebrity-filled from the start.
In March, they hosted a three-day pre-wedding party for Anant that featured 1,200 guests, including former world leaders, tech moguls and Bollywood stars, and a performance by Rihanna, Akon and Diljit Dosanjh, a Punjabi singer who shot to international fame when he performed at Coachella. The event was also attended by tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.
It was the start of lavish, months-long pre-wedding celebrations that grabbed headlines and sparked a social media frenzy.
In May, the family took their guests on a three-day cruise from Italy to France, which included Katy Perry singing her hit song Firework and a performance by Pitbull, according to media reports.
The family also organised a mass wedding for more than 50 underprivileged couples on July 2 as part of the celebrations.
Last week, Justin Bieber performed for hundreds of guests at a pre-wedding concert that included performances by Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Salman Khan.
Ambani also made headlines in 2018 when Beyoncé performed at his daughter’s pre-wedding festivities. 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.
FUENTE: AP