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Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Asia's richest man, married, on July 12, pharmaceutical heiress Radhika Merchant in a star-studded ceremony attended by celebrities from across the globe, politicians, the who's who of Hindi and south Indian cinema world and almost all the top cricketers of the country.
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and her sister Khloe, Nigerian rapper Rema, former UK prime minister Tony Blair and global business tycoons ranging from oil giant Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser to Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Lee and drug major GSK plc CEO Emma Walmsley were in attendance for what has been dubbed the 'wedding of the year'.
Almost all of Bollywood -- including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Tiger Shroff and Varun Dhawan -- were present, most with their families, while superstars Rajinikanth, Ram Charan and Mahesh Babu led the entourage from down south.
The wedding saw a gamut of Indian cricketers as well, from icons like Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to yesteryear great Krishnamachari Srikkanth and latest sensations Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.
The guest list also included former President Ram Nath Kovind, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Anant, 29, tied the knot with Radhika, daughter of Indian pharma tycoons Viren and Shaila Merchant, in a traditional Hindu ceremony at Mumbai's Jio World Drive -- a convention centre built and owned by the Ambani family.
Earlier, the groom, dressed in a rust orange sherwani, set off from Antilia -- the Ambani family residence -- in a beautifully decorated luxurious red car for the convention centre, where the baraat assembled for a short journey to the mandap.
Designer duo Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla's pastel hues dominated the Ambani family's attire -- from father and oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh, to mother Nita, sister Isha and her husband Anand Piramal and brother Akash.
Akash's wife, Shloka, was the only exception; she wore a stunning hot pink lehenga adorned with crystals.
The dress code was followed by the guests as well -- both Indian and international.
American actor, rapper and professional wrestler John Cena and Tamil superstar Rajinikanth joined Anil Kapoor and Ranveer Singh as they danced in the baraat. Shah Rukh Khan hugged and danced with Nita as she and her husband welcomed Khan and his family.
Ananya Panday and Shanaya Kapoor sported an 'Anant's Brigade' message on their outfit.
Arjun Kapoor had 'Mere Yaar ki Shaadi' embroidered on his kurta.
The three-day wedding extravaganza is the final stop in a string of opulent parties the family has hosted since March.
The couple were engaged in January 2023 and the Ambanis have hosted three lavish pre-wedding parties.
It began with a three-day pre-wedding celebration held in March at the family's refinery township, Jamnagar, in Gujarat. The 1,200-strong guest list included tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and saw an exclusive performance by Rihanna.
Well-known magician David Blaine performed his exceptional tricks.
The festivities included a trip to the Ambani's animal rescue centre, Vantara.
In May, the Ambanis and a select group of guests set off on a four-day Mediterranean cruise starting in the Italian city of Palermo, featuring on-deck concerts by the Backstreet Boys, Pitbull and David Guetta.
Katy Perry performed at a masquerade ball at the Chateau de la Croix des Gardes mansion in France.
DJ David Guetta played at a toga party at sea.
The cruise ended in Italy's Portofino where tenor Andrea Bocelli serenaded the party in the town square.
Last week, Justin Bieber performed at the sangeet.
The elaborate wedding itself will be a three-day affair, with a small dinner for exclusive guests on July 13 and a grand reception on July 14.
The Ambanis have not revealed how much they have spent on the wedding but its regal scale has included a Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh per piece invitation consisting of an intricate chest incorporating a mini silver temple.
It has also been reported that three Falcon-2000 jets have been rented to ferry guests to the wedding.
Rumours say Rihanna was paid $7 million (approximately Rs 58.47 crores/Rs 584.7 million) for her performance and Bieber $10 million (approximately Rs 83.53 crores/Rs 835.3 million).
Mukesh and Nita Ambani have hosted lavish weddings for their other children too.
Beyonce performed at daughter Isha Ambani's 2018 nuptials that boasted of guests like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.
A year later, Coldplay's Chris Martin performed at Akash's pre-wedding bash in St Moritz, Switzerland, and Maroon 5 at his wedding in Mumbai.
Isha’s wedding has been billed as the most expensive wedding in India to date, with some estimates putting the cost up to $100 million.
Mukesh Ambani, 67, is at present the world's 11th richest man with a net worth of $119 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
He has spent the last two decades transforming Reliance Industries, founded by his father in 1966 as an oil and petrochemicals giant, into a global empire spanning telecom, retail, financial services, cricket and luxury fashion.
Anant Ambani is the youngest of his three children, all of whom are on the board of Reliance Industries. He is involved in Reliance's energy businesses and is on the board of the Reliance Foundation.
Anant styled his sherwani, which featured a bandhgala neckline, intricate golden embroidery, front button closures adorned with precious gems, full-length sleeves and padded shoulders, with white pyjamas, beige sneakers embellished with gold sequins and a gold elephant brooch.
While the Ambani family complemented the groom-to-be in ethnic outfits, the guests arriving also wore designer Indian wear.
John Cena arrived at the wedding in a powder blue bandhgala with silver embroidery.
Superstar Rajnikanth, daughter Soundarya, her husband Vishagan Vanangamudi and son Ved Krishna wore traditional Tamil wear.
The Kardashians, who arrived in Mumbai late on July 11 to a red-carpet welcome at the Taj Mahal Hotel, took an autorickshaw ride through the bustling streets of Mumbai ahead of the wedding.
The sisters are said to have brought a team of stylists, including celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, along with a group of producers to capture every detail of their trip.
