NEW DELHI -- The wedding of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, has been a global spectacle, marked by months of unprecedented festivities. The grandeur began with a three-day pre-wedding celebration in March, featuring performances by Rihanna and Akon for a star-studded 1,200-person guest list. In May, a four-day European cruise included on-deck concerts from the Backstreet Boys and Pitbull, followed by a masquerade ball with Katy Perry. Last week, a traditional music night in Mumbai showcased Justin Bieber's hits.
The actual wedding took place early Saturday, attended by a high-profile guest list, including Mike Tyson, Nick Jonas, Tony Blair, Boris Johnson, and Kim Kardashian. Almost everyone from Bollywood was present, with the groom arriving in a Rolls Royce accompanied by marching bands. The event has highlighted Mukesh Ambani's immense clout, bringing together the world's most famous celebrities, powerful politicians, and business tycoons under one roof.
The opulence of the wedding has sparked discussions about rising inequality in India, where the gap between the rich and poor is growing. The country's richest 1% owns over 40% of its total wealth. Author Salil Tripathi commented on social platform X, "The problem with the Ambani wedding isn’t the ostentatiousness. It is the exhibitionism."
With a net worth of $116 billion, Ambani senior ensured the wedding celebrations were the talk of the town. Millions were spent on grand jewels, evoking memories of the long-gone era of Indian royalty. Wedding invitations were made of silver and gold, private jets were hired to fly in some guests, and Bollywood’s most sought-after designer, Manish Malhotra, served as the wedding’s creative director.
The grand display of wealth is estimated to have cost the Ambani family more than half a billion dollars, according to a wedding planning app, Bridebook.com. This expenditure represents less than half a percent of the family’s total wealth. In contrast, millions of middle-class Indian families struggle to save for their children’s weddings and sometimes spend their entire savings on the celebrations.
Mukesh Ambani, the world's ninth richest man, is no stranger to hosting lavish parties. In 2018, Beyoncé performed at pre-wedding festivities for his daughter, attended by former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. For his youngest son, Anant, who oversees the conglomerate’s renewable and green energy expansion, Ambani ensured no expense was spared. Anant’s bride, Radhika Merchant, is the daughter of Viren and Shaila Merchant, founders of pharmaceutical company Encore Healthcare.
Guests made a red-carpet-style arrival Saturday at the Ambani-owned, 16,000-capacity Jio World Convention Center, streaming past hundreds of photographers as if at a Met Gala event. Foreign guests donned traditional embroidered sherwanis, with many wearing designs by India’s best-known fashion designers. Video clips from the event showed guests dancing to Bollywood music, and most television news channels offered minute-by-minute coverage of the couple walking around the sacred fire seven times. Even FIFA President Gianni Infantino was seen shaking a leg.
Festivities are set to continue through the weekend at Ambani’s 27-story family compound in Mumbai, worth $1 billion and featuring three helipads, a 160-car garage, and a private movie theater. Saturday will see a divine blessings ceremony, while Sunday is reserved for a final reception. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to make an appearance, according to local media.
Critics argue that the Ambanis' display of wealth highlights the disparity between the rich and poor in India. Kunal Kanase, a researcher and activist living in Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest slums located some 5 kilometers from the wedding venue, said the Ambanis' spending evoked "negative emotions among the country’s poor who struggle to make ends meet." He added, "It is crazy. I don’t understand what these billionaires want to show by displaying such wealth."
The Ambani wedding has set a new benchmark for India's multibillion-dollar wedding industry, sparking both admiration and criticism.
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