Legendary celebrations before the wedding of the son of the richest man in Asia (photos)
Businessmen from all over the world and heads of state, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood stars, have been flocking to the small city of Jamnagar in western India since Friday, as billionaire Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani began celebrations ahead of the grand wedding of his youngest son.
Celebrations are expected to take place for 3 days before the wedding scheduled 4 months after the ceremony.
The guest list for the celebrations includes nearly 1,200 people, including pop star Rihanna, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Bisha, Ivanka Trump, and Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan.
All eyes are on Anant Ambani (28 years old) and his fiancée Radhika Merchant (29 years old), and their marriage is scheduled to take place next July. Radhika is the daughter of Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt Ltd, and entrepreneur Shaila Viren Merchant.
Indian star Shah Rukh Khan during pre-wedding celebrations for the son of billionaire Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani (AP)
Such celebrations are in keeping with the Ambani family tradition of lavish and extravagant parties.
Who is Mukesh Ambani, who is the richest man in Asia?
Ambani (66 years old) is the tenth richest man in the world with a net worth of $115 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Reliance Industries is a huge conglomerate with annual revenues of more than $100 billion, and its activities range from petrochemicals, oil and gas, communications, and retail trade, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Ambani owns Reliance, which his father founded in 1966. Today, it has more than 420 million subscribers and provides fifth-generation mobile services. Earlier this week, Disney concluded an $8.5 billion deal to merge its business in India with Ambani’s Reliance Industries, to form a new media conglomerate.
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner (right) at a celebration before the wedding of the son of the billionaire Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani (AP)
The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-storey private residential building, Antilla, worth $1 billion in Mumbai. It has 3 helipads, a 160-car garage, a private movie theater, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.
Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan at the pre-wedding party of Anant Ambani, Mukesh Ambani’s son, in Jamnagar (AP)
Ambani’s critics say his company flourished mainly because of political connections during the Congress Party governments of the 1970s and 1980s, and then under Prime Minister Narendra Modi after 2014. They say India’s “crony capitalism” has helped some companies, like Ambani’s, thrive. .
Mark Zuckerberg with the son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani Anant and his fiancée Radhika Merchant (AP)
Mukesh Ambani (66 years old) began passing leadership to his two sons and daughter. The eldest son, Akash Ambani, is now Chairman of Reliance Jio; While his daughter Isha supervises retail sales; The youngest, Anant – who is getting married in July – has joined the new energy sector.
“Extravagant parties” are Ambani’s specialty
In 2018, when his daughter married, Ambani made headlines for the grand celebrations, with pop star Beyoncé performing at the pre-wedding celebrations. At the time, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among those who met Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars in the western Indian city of Udaipur.
Bill Gates and Paula Hurd during pre-wedding celebrations for the son of billionaire Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani (AP)
Later that year, Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal officially celebrated their engagement on picturesque Lake Como in Italy. In December 2018, they married at Ambani’s residence in Mumbai.
An extravagant pre-wedding party
The three-day pre-wedding party offers a glimpse of the extravagance expected at a July wedding.
The Ambani family is marking the occasion in the family’s hometown of Jamnagar – a city of about 600,000 people, located in a semi-desert part of Gujarat – where they also have the company’s main oil refinery.
Akash Ambani and Anant Ambani, sons of Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, stand with Shloka Mehta Ambani, wife of Akash, and Radhika Merchant, daughter of industrialist Viren Merchant, during pre-wedding celebrations (Reuters)
Guests are expected to dress up in jungle-themed outfits to visit the animal rescue center run by groom Anant. The 3,000-acre (about 1,200 hectare) center, known as “Vantara” or “Forest Star,” includes animals that have been abused, injured, and are threatened with extinction, especially elephants.
The invitation also states that guests will start each day with a new dress code, an “inspiration board” outlining the dress code for each of the three days of the party, and an army of hairstylists, makeup artists and Indian wear designers at their hotel to help them get ready. There will also be traditional Hindu ceremonies at the temple complex.
Ivanka Trump at a pre-wedding celebration for the son of billionaire Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani (AP)
500 dishes will be served to guests, many of whom arrive on chartered planes, prepared by about 100 chefs.
From left to right, Bollywood stars Amir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan perform at the pre-wedding party of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s son (AP)
The guest list also includes the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Jassim Al Thani, and Stephen Harper, the former Canadian Prime Minister; King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Jigme of Bhutan and his wife Queen Jetsun Pema.
On Wednesday, the Ambani family organized a community food service for 51,000 people living in nearby villages.
