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New Delhi
Reuters
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Charter planes for moguls and celebrities, a performance by Rihanna and instructions to wear “jungle fever” outfits when visiting an animal rescue center: This is how billionaire Mukesh Ambani is starting big fat indian wedding celebrations for his son.
The head of the Indian conglomerate Reliance and the richest man in Asia with a net worth of 114 billion dollars according to ForbesAmbani is known for never throwing a party halfway.
The occasion of the moment that has India transfixed is a three-day pre-wedding party for his youngest son, Anant Ambani, 28, who is marrying his long-time girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, 29. It starts on Friday, will entertain 1200 guests and will be held in a township in Jamnagar. near Reliance’s main oil refinery in the western state of Gujarat.
The wedding itself doesn’t take place until July and the festivities de facto began on Wednesday, when Anant and his future wife hosted a community dinner for local villagers that served 51,000 people.
In addition to pop and R&B superstar Rihanna, American magician David Blaine will perform and there will also be traditional ceremonies at a temple complex.
Anant’s pre-wedding party is likely to be attended by Bill Gates, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla, as well as many cricketers and Bollywood film stars such as Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the plans who declined to be identified.
Also likely to attend is Disney CEO Bob Iger, who announced a $8.5 billion merger of its Indian media assets with those of Reliance on Wednesday.
Anant is head of Reliance’s new energy business and one of Ambani’s three sons who are heirs to his empire. Merchant is a director of Encore Healthcare in India.
Ambani also made headlines with his daughter Isha’s wedding. wedding in 2018, which some described as a mini Davos summit. Former US Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among those who danced on the floor with Bollywood stars back then.
Guests at Anant Ambani’s celebrations will be able to savor 500 dishes created by around 100 chefs.
They will be pampered: Indian hairstylists, makeup artists and dressmakers are available, but only on a first-come, first-served basis, according to a planning document provided to guests and seen by Reuters.
They will visit a rescue center that Reliance says houses more than 2,000 animals and has one of the largest elephant hospitals in the world. The dress code is “jungle fever” and guests are encouraged to wear animal-print clothing or Hawaiian shirts.
Return charter flights are offered from New Delhi and Mumbai, but guests have been asked to limit themselves to just two items of luggage or three suitcases per couple. The document warns that “if you bring more,” there is no guarantee that they will arrive on the same flight.
Guests have also been asked to be reasonable in their expectations of laundry services.
“Any clothing that is steamed (ironed) will be returned within 3 hours…expecting or requesting anything quicker than that may not be feasible,” he said.