Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
If the golf course seemed slightly more empty this weekend, it may be because several of the world’s billionaires were attending the same pre-wedding bash in India. Anant Ambani, the son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is marrying Radhika Merchant this summer, and they threw a huge anticipatory celebration in the Indian city of Jamnagar. This party had everything: a Rihanna performance, a nine-page dress code, Mark Zuckerberg. Here’s everything we know about the biggest matrimonial celebration since Mukesh Ambani’s other kids got married.
Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, is marrying Radhika Merchant. Who are these people? Great question. Mukesh is the ninth-richest person in the world and the richest in Asia, according to Forbes. He’s the chair of Reliance Industries, one of those companies that somehow does business in oil, textiles, telecommunications, and entertainment. Merchant isn’t exactly a commoner either. Her father is Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare and a billionaire in his own right.
As a reminder, these two lovebirds aren’t even marrying until July. This weekend-long bash was just the pre-wedding celebration. So imagine your wedding shower but Mark Zuckerberg is there and the party lasts multiple days. Speaking of Zuck …
Think of a rich guy and he was probably at this celebration. According to Forbes, this event was a who’s who of crusty old businessmen and Rihanna. That’s right, Rihanna was there and she performed. The singer is reportedly being paid around $9 million for her appearance and, according to TMZ, she didn’t travel light. The tabloid shared a video allegedly showing the “literal crates of crap” she has brought along. Additionally, David Blaine was reportedly there to do some magic. Fun!
When Riri looked out into the audience, she might have seen a sea of fellow billionaires (and some lowly millionaires). In addition to Zuckerberg, the guest list of 1,200 included Bill Gates, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Disney CEO Bob Iger. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and the basis for Ari on Entourage, scored an invite. From the entertainment world, Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan were both in attendance. And what would a bash this monied and spectacular be without a little tension? Apparently, both Ivanka Trump and Hillary Clinton were both invited, though it appears only Trump showed up. It’s deeply upsetting to me that we never got a Succession episode set at the pre-wedding party of an Indian billionaire’s son.
Anant is the youngest of Mukesh Ambani’s children and the third to be married. When his sister, Isha, got married in 2018, Beyoncé performed. In 2019, Isha’s twin brother married and he had Coldplay perform at his pre-wedding bash (the Chainsmokers were also there). It seems that if you’re one of the Ambani children, you’re guaranteed a musician who put on a really good Super Bowl halftime show. You can also tack on the Chainsmokers, I guess.
From the videos that have made their way online, it appears that she slayed. The singer turned beauty magnate played all the hits, including “Work,” “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and “Stay.”
We may never get the new album, but if you have millions of dollars, you can still get a Rihanna concert. Consider that a life hack.
For these guys, I imagine wheeling and dealing is the fun part, but there were activities outside of that. Of course, lavish dinners were held each night. Reuters reports that across the festivities guests dined on 500 dishes by 100 chefs. The main attraction, however, was a visit to an animal-rescue center run by Reliance.
“Anant has lovingly nurtured this complex into a haven of care and compassion for thousands of rescued animals,” the invitation reads, per the Times of London. The groom-to-be has a passion for animals, and the rescue center has one of the world’s largest elephant hospitals. Cool! The dress code instructed guests to adhere to a “jungle fever” theme for this particular excursion, which, according to Reuters, means animal-print clothing or Hawaiian shirts. Anant clarified to India Today that the visit was not for “recreation or enjoyment”; rather it was for “educational purposes.”
The theme is “nautical chic.” I’m just playing, but the Times reports that guests received a nine-page dress code for the entire weekend. In addition to the “jungle fever” directive, guests were expected to wear traditional Indian garb to the major events. According to the Times, one evening required that guests wear “dazzling” Indian outfits, while the final party requested a “Heritage Indian” dress code.
Oh, and if Ivanka looked at her sari and realized it was wrinkled? She may have had to wait a bit to have it steamed. According to Reuters, the invitation reads, “Any clothes given to steam (press) will be returned within 3 hours … expecting or requesting anything quicker than that may not be feasible.” Congratulations to the laundry team for setting a firm boundary.
