Mumbai: The extravagant wedding for Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son, Anant, and his betrothed Radhika Merchant has gone on in Mumbai amid extravagance and scandal. The celebrations were resumed on Saturday and celebrities from Hollywood or famous businessmen, and former British prime ministers were among the guests.
The private celebrations, which took place over the weekend, involved a house blessing at a 16,000-seater convention center owned by the Ambani family and a party where it was rumored that Drake, Lana Del Rey, and Adele performed. The formal ceremony was held the previous day with guest appearances by Kim Kardashian, John Cena, Tony Blair, and Boris Johnson, among others.
This grand celebration came after a number of pre-wedding parties held earlier this year such as a grand party held at Mumbai’s Ambani ancestral home complete with a private Hindu temple and performances by Rihanna and Justin Bieber. Other parties were a Mediterranean cruise for 1200 people and a masquerade ball in Cannes with performances by Katy Perry and Backstreet Boys, Pitbull, and Andrea Bocelli.
In line with the size of the event, it was reported that the Ambani family hired three Falcon-2000 jets to ferry the guests around the country. However, the celebrations have not been without controversy. Some of the residents’ concerns include disruption of traffic flow due to road closures during monsoon season and the magnitude of the wedding. They have also criticized aspects of social economic context such as conspicuous consumption during hardship.
Mukesh Ambani is the head of Reliance Industries and is amongst the richest persons globally; his business entity is involved in various sectors such as retail, telecommunication, and sports franchises including owning an IPL cricket team. Antilia, his own home, is one of the most costly buildings in Mumbai, with a reported price tag of over $1 billion and a bevy of servants.
