A-list celebrities and top politicians have descended on India‘s second-biggest city for the wedding of the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man.
Anant Ambani, 29, is marrying his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, also 29, in what has been dubbed the wedding of the year, turning heads for its display of enormous wealth and glamor.
The Kardashians, Adele, Drake, Lana Del Rey, David Beckham, and even former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson are set to be in attendance, according to local media. Kim and Khloe Kardashian have begun posting a host of wedding content on their Instagram stories, while Nick Jonas and wife Priyanka Chopra were photographed arriving in Mumbai.
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas arrive in Mumbai.
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Ambani’s father, often described as a plutocrat, is the chairman of Reliance Industries, a conglomerate with businesses in energy, gas, entertainment, retail, telecommunications, and more. With an estimated net worth of $123.3 billion as of July 2024, Mukesh Ambani is the continent’s wealthiest person and the 11th richest person in the world. The five-month wedding spectacle is estimated to cost upward of $600 million.
Canadian pop star Justin Bieber was pictured performing for wedding party guests this week. Rihanna famously sang for the happy couple in March at a prenuptial bash. But the ongoing festivities have also been attended by top business tycoons such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg. A Meditarranean cruise hosted by the Ambanis in May included performances by Andrea Bocelli, Katy Perry and the Backstreet Boys.
Some of Bollywood’s biggests stars such as Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Salman Khan, have also celebrated with the Ambanis.
India‘s wealthy families have a history of splashing on extravagant weddings. In 2018, the Ambani family made headlines again when Beyoncé performed at the pre-wedding festivities of the business mogul’s daughter. Former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among those in attendance in the western city of Udaipur.
Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal saw his daughter, Vanisha, marry banker Amit Bhatia in lavish celebrations over the course of a week in France in 2004. Including a ceremony at the Palace of Versailles and with stars such as Kylie Minogue on the guest list, the entire bash reportedly cost around $60 million.
