From political heavyweights to actual heavyweights – pop stars, celebrities and sporting icons have arrived in Mumbai for the lavish wedding of Anant Ambani, the 29-year-old son of Asia’s richest man.
Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight boxing champion, Kim Kardashian, the reality TV star, and former prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson are among a glittering list of 1,200 guests invited to celebrate Mr Ambani’s marriage to Radhika Merchant, 29.
Months of planning have gone into decking out the Jio World Centre in central Mumbai ready for the big event, which begins on Friday and goes on until Monday, with thousands of staff involved.
The event is as much a grand romantic gesture as it is a symbol of the wealth of India’s elites.
Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd and father of the groom, has an estimated net worth of $122.6 billion (£95 billion), according to Forbes. His son is in charge of Reliance’s energy business.
Hindu rituals
Celebrations kicked off two weeks ago in Jamnagar in Gujarat, followed by a four-day luxury cruise in Europe, and a string of high-profile events in Mumbai.
The glitzy pre-wedding parties have featured performances by music megastars such as Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and the Backstreet Boys, with many of Bollywood’s biggest stars in attendance.
Friday’s wedding will feature traditional Hindu rituals and the reception will be held over two days. On Monday, there will be a “special reception” for Mr Ambani’s household staff, according to a document detailing the plans.
Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, and top business executives are also expected to attend, a spokesperson for Reliance Industries told the Daily Telegraph. Ms Kardashian, her sister Khloe and Mr Tyson are also on the list, he said, though Bill Gates, the philanthropist and Microsoft founder, and Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook chairman, who were present for pre-wedding festivities, were not on the guest list shared by Reliance.
Red flowers
The upmarket Jio World Convention Centre is popular for weddings, exhibitions and meetings, and is owned by Mr Ambani’s company. An army of workers has transformed it with ornamental lights and red flowers over the past two weeks.
According to police, the celebration has been deemed a “public event” due to the presence of international and Indian household names, but many nearby don’t feel particularly included in the extravagant display of wealth and power.
Local residents and office workers say they are annoyed with the inconvenience of it all, saying the couple has chosen to hold their celebration in the busy, most densely populated area of the city.
“I am annoyed. This is not a good sight to watch. I don’t look towards the building because it looks more like a corporate event than an Indian wedding. There is nothing Indian about it,” said Sanjay Biswas, who has been working for over two weeks decorating the Jio World Centre for the wedding.
“It’s a shame that Ambanis are wasting such huge money on the wedding. It’s the money of poor Indians who are being charged by Jio Telecom heavily,” Mr Biswas told the Daily Telegraph.
“Ambanis are not leaving behind a good message for the people of India where thousands are dying of hunger and living under open sky, in these rains,” he said. “I am giving up Jio telecom services,” he said.
Traffic restrictions
Mumbai traffic authorities have imposed traffic restrictions for four days from July 12 around the wedding centre, which is located at the Bandra Kurla Complex – home to India’s regulator, its biggest stock exchange and thousands of small and big corporate offices.
Mumbai Traffic Police wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that all roads near the wedding venue will be open only for “event vehicles” between 1pm and midnight July 12-15.
An angry reply read: “This is nonsense. How can you inconvenience people and stop people from coming to the office for a private event?? Why not have the event after office hours?? The Mumbai traffic is already in a mess.”
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