Bollywood celebrities put their best fashion foot forward at the pre-wedding festivities of Ambani scion Anant and Radhika Merchant. The who’s who included Bollywood mega stars, global elite, and notable names from the worlds of Indian business, sports, and entertainment. A-listers who attended the event included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, international pop sensation Rihanna, versatile musician, songwriter, and producer Adam Blackstone, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his family, and megastars Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, his actress wife Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt with Ranbir Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Arjun Kapoor, renowned film producer Boney Kapoor, filmmaker Ayan Mukerji, film director Atlee, Orhan Awatramani, and many other notable personalities.
Weddings are a huge deal in India with each family putting their best foot forward and greeting guests with the warmest of gestures. And when it comes to the most influential family of India – the Ambanis, it’s a different ball game altogether – celebs converged into Mumbai from across the globe for the extravaganza.
Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, is scheduled to marry Radhika Merchant, the younger daughter of Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant, in July.
The wedding will take place in July. Guests have been invited to a three-day pre-wedding celebration starting on March 1 in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Invitations for the pre-wedding festivities have also been extended to Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Bhutan’s Queen Jetsun Pema, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Saudi Aramco Chairperson Yasir Al Rumayyan, Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, World Economic Forum Chairperson Klaus Schwab, former Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga, and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. They are expected to join in the celebrations soon.
Chartered flights have been arranged to transport guests from Delhi and Mumbai to Jamnagar and back. Guests arrived by mid-day on March 1.
Timeline for three-day festivities:
The celebrations on Day 1 are themed ‘An Evening in Everland’, where guests are encouraged to don elegant cocktail attire.
Day 2 will feature ‘A Walk on the Wildside’ with a ‘jungle fever’ dress code, set amidst the Ambanis’ animal rescue centre in Jamnagar. Following this, guests will enjoy ‘Mela Rouge’, a vibrant mix of traditional activities where attendees are invited to showcase their favourite South Asian attire.
Day 3 will host two events – ‘Tusker Trails’, an outdoor experience amidst Jamnagar’s natural beauty, and ‘Hashtakshar’, the final event where guests will be adorned in ‘heritage Indian Wear’.
The pre-wedding festivities commenced with a customary ‘anna seva’ ceremony held in Jogwad village near Reliance Township in Jamnagar. Mukesh Ambani, along with Anant Ambani, Radhika Merchant, and various relatives from the Ambani and Merchant families, served traditional Gujarati cuisine to the villagers. This act of ‘anna seva’ involved catering to approximately 51,000 local residents and is anticipated to persist for several days.
