The celebration of the moment that has the world glued to their screens is the pre-wedding line-up of billionaire heir Anant Ambani and girlfriend Radhika Merchant. The groom-to-be’s father and the head of Indian conglomerate Reliance and Asia’s richest man with a net worth of $114 billion according to Forbes, Mukesh Ambani is known for never doing anything by half measure. And kicking off his son’s pre-wedding festivities was no exception.
The weekend’s festivities took place from March 1-3, 2024, in Jamnagar in the western state of Gujarat, close to Reliance’s main oil refinery. Although Ambani and his 29-year-old girlfriend Radhika Merchant are not due to marry until July, no expense was spared at the lavish pre-wedding bash.
The Starry Guests
Celebrities and cricketers to tycoons and industrialists, the who’s who from around the world was welcomed at Radhika Merchant And Anant Ambani’s pre-wedding extravaganza. The guest list included 1,200 people. Bollywood celebrities like Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal and Amitabh Bachchan among others were present to congratulate the happy couple. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Bob Iger and Ivanka Trump were among the high-profile international figures who jetted to India for billionaire heir Anant Ambani’s extravagant pre-wedding party.
The Bollywood performances
A number of A-listers also performed at the jamboree on the second day of the festivities, i.e. on Saturday, March 2. Shah Rukh Khan was seen dancing to his song Jhoome Jo Pathaan from his 2023 film Pathaan.
Showing his bromance, the king of romance also broke a leg with Aamir Khan and Salman Khan to the tunes of Naatu Naatu, the high-spirited Oscar-winning Telugu song from RRR. Salman danced to a medley of his songs such as Salaam-e-Ishq, Didi Tera Deewana, Tenu Leke Main Jaawanga, and Saajanji Ghar Aaye.
Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, along with Mukesh Ambani's eldest son Akash Ambani and his wife Shloka Mehta, danced to the dance mix of Kesariya, the popular romantic track from their 2022 hit film Brahmastra Part One: Shiva. Their video has gone viral on social media.
The young Bollywood brigade, Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor and Ananya Panday rocked the night with their performance on the song Bole Chudiyan from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.... They were joined on stage by designer Manish Malhotra.
The Setting
The exquisite venues for Anant Ambani's pre-wedding festivities were decked up with larger-than-life florals all around. As per a recent report, the pre-wedding festivities hosted by Nita and Mukesh Ambani cost a staggering £120 million with the catering contract alone, awarded to one of India’s leading five-star hotel groups, rumoured to be around £20 million. The guests were served around 500 dishes prepared by over 100 chefs.
On the first day was celebrated as ‘An Evening in Everland’, where guests wore elegant cocktail attire. American floral designer Jeff Leatham was responsible for all the intricate flower arrangements at the extravaganza. Known for his work with reality TV star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian and the rest of her family, Jeff created larger-than-life white, pink and purple flower arrangements for the night.
On March 2, the Ambanis hosted A Walk on the Wildside’ with jungle fever being the dress code and held outdoors in the Ambanis' animal rescue centre Vantara. Forests, birds and animals could be found on everything from carpets to walls.
In the evening, the guests proceeded to ‘Mela Rouge’, the Moulin Rouge-inspired carnival which was the most opulent event featuring yellow bulbs and chandeliers and the bold use of red colour.
The Entertainment
The extravaganza hosted by Ambanis kicked off with a performance by Grammy award-winning singer Rihanna, who reportedly charged between $8-9 million for her performance at the newly-constructed Jamnagar Township Temple complex. There was also a drone act and a special performance by international illusionist David Blaine.
The celebration also saw Kareena and Saif join Diljit on stage. The Punjabi singer-actor praised his Udta Punjab co-star Kareena, saying, “Hogi Rihanna, hogi Beyonce, sadi ta ae he hai Kareena,” meaning they may have Rihanna and Beyonce, but Kareena is everything to us. He then sang his superhit track Proper Patola for Kareena.
Singer Arijit Singh and Ajay-Atul, too, serenaded the guests with their music.