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- By Zoya Mateen
- BBC News, Delhi
Image source, fake images
The Ambani family at the engagement of Radhika Merchant (third from left) and Anant Ambani (fourth from left) in January 2023.
Some of the world’s most influential people have arrived in the Indian state of Gujarat to attend a wedding party hosted by Asia’s richest man.
Mark Zuckerberg, Rihanna and Bill Gates are among the guests at the pre-wedding gala hosted by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani for his son.
Anant Ambani, 28, will marry Radhika Merchant in July.
Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan will also be at the three-day event in the city of Jamnagar.
Mukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the 10th richest man in the world with a net worth of $115 billion according to Forbes. Reliance Industries, founded by his father in 1966, is a massive conglomerate operating in sectors ranging from refining and retail to financial services and telecommunications.
Anant Ambani is the youngest of his three children, all of whom sit on the board of directors of Reliance Industries. The 28-year-old is involved in Reliance’s energy businesses and sits on the board of directors of the Reliance Foundation.
The extravagant pre-wedding event is in keeping with the Ambani family’s history of hosting lavish wedding parties.
In 2018, pop sensation Beyoncé performed at Ambani’s daughter Isha Ambani’s pre-wedding festivities in the city of Udaipur. Among those invited to the event were former US Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.
A Bloomberg report at the time he cited sources who put the cost of Isha’s wedding at $100 million; this was denied by a “person close to the family” who said the bill was around $15 million.
The current festivities began earlier this week with an event where the Ambani family served food to the local people of Jamnagar.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant at the dinner organized for locals
About 1,200 guests will attend the pre-wedding party, which will be held in a township in Jamnagar, near Reliance’s main oil refinery.
Reuters reported that the guest list includes Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla. Disney CEO Bob Iger is also expected to be at the party, which comes days after his company announced a merger of its Indian assets with those of Reliance.
Zuckerberg, who is in a busy Asia trip, reached Jamnagar on Thursday. Bill Gates, who arrived in India a couple of days ago, had earlier published a video of himself drinking tea prepared by a local vendor; then it went viral.
Others seen arriving on Friday include cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo, and BP chief executive Murray Auchincloss.
Other guests expected at Ambani’s event include BlackRock co-founder Larry Fink, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Ivanka Trump.
Image source, ani news agency
Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla after arriving in Jamnagar
“The guest list appears to have more RSVPs from global corporate titans than the weddings of Mr. Ambani’s two eldest sons in 2018 and 2019, underscoring the growing influence of Reliance and its role as a conduit to the Indian economy for global technology, media and energy giants. Bloomberg wrote.
Among the entertainment offered are performances by Rihanna and illusionist David Blaine.
Guests are also expected to visit a rescue center in Jamnagar, which reportedly houses more than 2,000 animals. According to a planning document seen by Reuters, the dress code for this visit is “jungle fever.”