A big, fat Indian wedding: Asia’s richest man throws seven-month-long wedding for youngest son

Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant weds Radhika Merchant in a string of festivities estimated to cost more than $600 million. Guests include British prime ministers and the Kardashians.

All eyes are on Mumbai this weekend as India’s financial capital serves as the backdrop to another contender for wedding of the year—that of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in Asia and the ninth wealthiest in the world.

No expense spared

The elder Mukesh is known for his lavish lifestyle, extensive clout, and love for glitz and glamour. His son’s wedding to long-time partner Radhika Merchant today, July 12, is the culmination of a seven-month long wedding preparation that’s unlike any other in extravagance. It rivals the recent royal weddings of Brunei’s Prince Abdul Mateen and the UK’s Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster. 

Rihanna performed at the pre-wedding party last March. Photo from Reuters

It wasn’t too long ago when Mukesh made headlines because of his son’s wedding. In March, he threw a three-day prenuptial bash with 1,200 guests including former world leaders, tech tycoons, and Bollywood megastars, as well as performances by Rihanna, Akon, and Diljit Dosanjh, a Punjabi singer who shot to international fame when he performed at Coachella. The event held in Gujarat, the family’s home state, was also attended by tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, as per a report on the Associated Press.

The couple during the first day of their three-day Mediterranean cruise with select guests last May. Photo from Vogue

In May, the family took guests on a three-day cruise from Italy to France which included Katy Perry singing her hit Firework and a performance by Pitbull, according to media reports. 

It’s not all pomp and pageantry, however, as the March pre-wedding celebration in Gujarat included a community food service for 51,000 people living in nearby villages. The family also organized a mass wedding for more than 50 underprivileged couples on July 2 as part of the festivities.

But just last weekend, it’s all back to crazy expensive celebrations. CNN reported that on July 7, Justin Bieber performed for hundreds of guests at a private pre-wedding concert which also included performances by Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Salman Khan.

Justin Bieber poses with the couple. Bieber was reportedly paid $10 million. Photo from Business Today

The stars once again descended upon Mumbai, the birthplace of Bollywood and the city with the highest number of billionaires in Asia—for the actual wedding itself. Global celebrities, business tycoons, and politicians have started streaming in to attend not just a wedding, but another flex of Mukesh’s increasing clout and mind-boggling wealth. 

The celebrations are taking place at the Ambani-owned Jio World Convention Centre and their family home, according to the Associated Press. The four-day wedding celebrations are reported to commence with a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, followed by a grand reception through the weekend. The guest list includes former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H. Nasser, the Kardashians, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Drake, and David Beckham, according to local media.

It’s not all pomp and pageantry, however, as the family also organized a mass wedding for more than 50 underprivileged couples on July 2 as part of the celebrations. Photo from Getty Images

Police have imposed traffic diversions from Friday to Monday around the wedding venue in anticipation of the influx of guests who will be flying into the megacity, the sixth most populous in the world, where heavy monsoon rains have recently caused flooding and flight disruptions.

The cost of three of the biggest parties in the seven-month stretch remains unknown. It was rumoured Rihanna was paid $7 million for her performance, while the figure suggested for Justin Bieber is said to be $10m, the BBC reported.

This is not the first time the Ambani family made headlines because of a wedding. In 2018, Mukesh also threw an extravagant wedding for his daughter Isha. The grand celebrations had Beyoncé performing at the pre-wedding festivities. Former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among the A-list guests.

Who is Mukesh Ambani?

The 66-year-old is the world’s ninth richest man with a net worth of $116 billion, according to Forbes. He is the richest person in Asia. The Yemeni-born businessman heads Reliance Industries, a massive conglomerate reporting over $100 billion in annual revenue, with interests ranging from petrochemicals, and oil and gas to telecoms and retail.

The Ambani family owns, among other assets, Antilia, a 27-story private apartment building worth $1 billion in Mumbai. It has three helipads, a 160-car garage, and a private movie theater.

The Ambani family residence, the 27-story Antilia, will host some of the weekend’s festivities. Photo from Getty Images

The groom, Anant, is Mukesh’s youngest son. The 29-year-old Brown University alumnus oversees the conglomerate’s renewable and green energy expansion. He also runs a 1,200-hectare animal rescue center in the family’s hometown of Jamnagar in Gujarat.

Anant (centre) is the youngest son of Mukesh and Neeta Ambani. Photo from Reuters

The bride, Radhika, also 29, comes from a wealthy background as well. She is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and is the marketing director for his company, Encore Healthcare, according to Vogue.

She told the magazine that she and Anant were introduced through mutual friends in 2017. “That first meeting just sparked something special between us, and it wasn’t long before we started dating,” she said.

In an interview with Vogue, Radhika said she and Anant met through a common friend in 2017. Photo from Getty Images

Mukesh Ambani may have become famous for his wealth—but has also earned infamy for it. Characterized by some such as The Economist as a plutocrat, reports of market manipulation, political corruption, cronyism, and exploitation have continued to hound the family’s patriarch.

Critics say his company has flourished mainly because of “crony capitalism,” with the Ambani’s extensive political connections during Congress party-led governments in the 1970s and ‘80s and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule after 2014.

The new lifestyle.