The son of India’s richest man is getting married this summer. But the wedding festivities actually began last week in New Delhi at a decadent venue in Gujarat, a state in western India—and the exorbitant prices of all the fêting has sent shockwaves across the globe. For the happy couple, the fun is only just the beginning.
But who is the Ambani family, and how did they manage to gather some of the world’s most powerful and influential people—from hedge-fund kingpins to celebrity music artists—to a pre-wedding party?
It all starts with the groom’s father, billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, who is currently the richest person in India and the ninth-richest man in the world. Forbes pegs his net worth at just under $118 billion.
Ambani, 66, is chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, a Mumbai-based conglomerate with business in everything from retail, natural gas, and petrochemicals to telecommunications, textiles, and entertainment. It is the largest private-sector company in India, and No. 88 on the Fortune Global 500.
Ambani’s father, Dhirubhai—the groom-to-be’s grandfather—was a yarn trader who founded Reliance in 1958 as a commodity-trading venture firm. Those commodities were mostly spices and polyester yarn. In 1966, Dhirubhai narrowed his focus primarily on polyester, incorporating Reliance Industries Private Limited as a family-operated textile manufacturer in the western state of Maharashtra, India.
Dhirubhai died in 2002, leaving Mukesh and his brother Anil at the reins; Mukesh ultimately wrested majority control. As of last year, Reliance operates over 230 subsidiaries.
This week’s actual festivities were for Anant Ambani, 29, Mukesh’s youngest son, who is set to marry his long-term girlfriend Radhika Merchant. Merchant herself comes from serious money: Her father,Viren Merchant, is CEO of Encore Healthcare Private Limited, a pharmaceutical giant in India.
Reliance remains a family business, and each of Mukesh’s three children has control of a different industry, per Forbes. They officially joined the board last year, and eldest son Akash leads the telecom and broadband arm. Isha, Akash’s twin sister, heads retail and financial services, and Anant, the groom-to-be, heads up energy.
The elder Ambani’s connections resulted in a guest list for the three-day event that totaled more than 1,200 people, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Disney CEO Bob Iger (who was invited but didn’t attend), former first daughter Ivanka Trump and her real-estate magnate husband Jared Kushner, A-list Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan, and even pop star Rihanna, who came out of retirement to perform for the party, earning a rumored $6 million payout.
As critics have pointed out, the flashiness of the party only underscore the rampant inequality plaguing India, where the richest 1% own over 40% of the country’s total wealth.
According to the New York Times, the party was just as much a destination for hobnobbing and networking as it was for celebration. “For instance, Nita Ambani, Mukesh Ambani’s wife, is reportedly poised to become board chairwoman of the company created by a recent merger of Reliance with Walt Disney’s Indian media assets,” Suhasini Raj reported.
Too bad Iger didn’t show up—but luckily, the wedding is still a few months away.
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FAQs
Who are the Ambanis, the ultrawealthy Indian family that got Rihanna to come out of retirement to play a wedding party? The son of India's richest man is getting married this summer.
Who all attended the Ambani wedding? ›
The wedding was also attended by several high-profile guests including former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and several celebrities and political leaders from India.
How did Anant Ambani make his money? ›
Anant Ambani leads Reliance Industries Ltd.'s energy business, a key area of investment for the Ambanis. The 27-year-old, along with his mother Nita Ambani, are also key figures in the family-owned Mumbai Indians, an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.
Who performed at the Ambani pre-wedding? ›
Not only Akshay's performance, but also Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan's performance was widely loved by everyone attending Anant and Radhika's pre-wedding festivities. The dance videos surfaced on social media on Saturday and quickly went viral.
How much did Rihanna get for an Indian wedding? ›
Rihanna performed this past weekend in India at a party celebrating the upcoming nuptials of Anant Ambani and his bride-to-be, Radhika Merchant. According to a report by the Daily Mail, the singer was paid £5 million to headline the event. That's about $6.3 million when converted into U.S. dollars.
How much did they pay Rihanna for an Indian wedding? ›
#Rihanna was reportedly paid over $6 million to perform at private Indian Wedding party 😳💰
Which celebrities were not invited to Ambani's pre-wedding? ›
Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar, Priyanka Chopra, Virat-Anushka - Bollywood celebrities who were missing from Anant and Radhika's pre-wedding celebrations. Bollywood celebrities, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Aamir Khan, attended Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's pre-wedding festivity.
Who did Bill Gates attend the Ambani wedding with? ›
Accompanied by his girlfriend Paula Hurd, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates participated in the lavish pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar. The tech billionaire, joined by his partner, was photographed alongside Mukesh Ambani and his son Anant Ambani during the event.
Why do actors serve food at Ambani wedding? ›
Originally Answered: Why did Amitabh serve food as a waiter at Ambani's wedding? Its tradition in Indian culture where bride family feeds the groom family as we know all the stars are invited by Mukesh Ambani,so showing there love and following the tradition they served the food to guests.
What did Nita Ambani do before marriage? ›
How much did the Ambani wedding cost? ›
Candid moments, outfits, and song and dance performances made headlines, and people were glued to social media for days. The Ambani pre-wedding bash was all Indians wanted to talk about. News publications the world over were also drawn to the festivities that reportedly cost $152 million.
How much does Rihanna charge for an Ambani marriage? ›
So needless to say her fee for performing at the Ambani wedding is equally handsome. According to sources who revealed to India Today, Rihanna is charging in the range of $8-9 million or Rs 66-74 crore for her performance.
How much did Rihanna pay for the Ambani wedding? ›
There's been rampant speculation on how much Rihanna earned for her performance. Anonymous sources told India Today that her performance fee could be somewhere between $8 and $9 million. The Daily Mail estimated a starting price of about $6 million for the gig.
How much did Rihanna charge for Ambani? ›
Pop icon Rihanna, who is a touring artist and rarely does private gigs, is getting paid a whopping amount for the Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant pre-wedding festivities. Sources tell India Today that her fee for the performance is somewhere between $8-$9 million (Rs 66 to 74 crore).
Why did Ambani hire Rihanna? ›
The reason: to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Anant Ambani – the son of India's richest person, Mukesh Ambani – and his fiancée, Radhika Merchant. The performance – on night one of a three-day affair in Gujarat, India – did not come cheap.
Why did Ambani invite Rihanna? ›
Why did Rihanna recently visit India? Rihanna recently visited India to perform at the pre-wedding festivities of Mukesh Ambani's son Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar. This visit was marked by her stunning performance, which left the audience captivated.
Who was the rich Rihanna wedding in India? ›
Rihanna "shined bright like a diamond" during her latest gig in India. Over the weekend, RiRi rocked the house during a lavish multi-day wedding ceremony for Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, whose estate is reportedly estimated to be worth $116 million, as cited by Forbes.
How much did Rihanna charge Ambani? ›
Sources tell India Today that her fee for the performance is somewhere between $8-$9 million (Rs 66 to 74 crore). The festivities kickstart from today, March 1, with an event titled 'An evening in Everland'.
