Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding of the year: Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, held extravagant pre-nuptial celebrations with Rihanna and Katy Perry – so what will the ceremony be like?

Jul 12 , 2024

Anant Ambani, son of billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani, with his fiancée Radhika Merchant. Photo: AFP

In March, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg were at the Ambani pre-wedding celebrations, while in May, the family took guests on a three-day cruise that featured David Guetta and Pitbull

Mukesh Ambani is the world’s ninth richest man with a net worth of US$116 billion; Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Salman Khan, plus Justin Bieber, attended the sangeet last Friday

In March, Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani threw a three-day prenuptial bash for his son that included a 1,200-person guest list, including former world leaders, tech tycoons and Bollywood’s megastars, and a performance by renowned singer Rihanna.

That was only the start of their months-long lavish pre-wedding celebrations, which have grabbed headlines and set off a social media frenzy.

Anant Ambani, son of businessman Mukesh Ambani, with his fiancée Radhika Merchant in July. Photo: Reuters

In May, the family took guests on a three-day pre-wedding cruise from Italy to France, which included a DJ set from David Guetta, Katy Perry belting out her hit song “Firework”, and a performance by Pitbull to cap it off, according to media reports.

Finally, the wedding itself happens today, July 12, with Anant Ambani marrying his long-time girlfriend, Radhika Merchant in what many have dubbed the wedding of the year.

Here’s what we know:

Who are the Ambanis?

Mukesh Ambani and his family in July. Photo: EPA-EFE

The father of the groom is Mukesh Ambani, 66, currently the world’s ninth richest man with a net worth of US$116 billion, according to Forbes. He is also the richest person in Asia.

His Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, reporting over US$100 billion in annual revenue, with interests ranging from petrochemicals, and oil and gas, to telecoms and retail.

The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-storey private apartment building named Antila, worth US$1 billion in Mumbai. It has three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private cinema, a swimming pool and a fitness centre.

Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia, a 27-storey private apartment building. Photo: @antiliahouse/Instagram

Ambani’s critics say his company has flourished mainly because of political connections during the Congress governments in the 1970s and 80s, and subsequently under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule after 2014. They say “crony capitalism” in India has helped certain corporations, such as Ambani’s, thrive.