When it comes to extravagant weddings, no one can beat the Ambanis. And the recent pre-wedding bash of business mogul Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son Anant Ambani and his beau Radhika Merchant was no exception.
With almost all the big B-towners in attendance, including several prominent personalities, like Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, and Ivanka Trump, the event was attended by over 1000 personalities.
Other attendees included Google CEO Sundar Pichai, cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif and many more.
The illustrated guest list also included Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor, Disha Patani and sisters Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor.
The celebration titled 'An evening in Everland' was hosted at the Reliance Greens Complex in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Pop icon Rihanna who is speculated to have been paid around $8-$9 million (Rs 66 to 74 crore), performed on a medley of songs including "Rude Boy", "Pour it Up" and "Diamonds".
This isn't the first time an Ambani wedding has roped in an international superstar for the private gig.
In 2018, Beyoncé performed at Isha Ambani's wedding.
The event also saw performances by Indian singers like Arijit Singh, Pritam, B Praak, Diljit Dosanjh, Hariharan, and Ajay-Atul.
Day-3 of the festivity came to an end with a mesmerizing musical night. The Ambani family also hosted a Hastakshar ceremony followed by Maha Aarti to celebrate Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s union which was attended by mega star Amitabh Bachchan along with Aishwarya Rai, Aaradhya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and family.
Celebrities like Sidharth Malhotra-Kiara Advani, Janhvi Kapoor, and Sonam Kapoor, Rani Mukhrji also made an appearance donning in ethnic attires.
Big-B in his Tumblr vlog described the experience as one that was never seen before, with not just the atmosphere of the wedding, but the Vantara animal relief facility.
Vantara is the brainchild of Anant, supported by Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation, which aims to rescue abused, injured, and endangered animals.
He also described the event as incredible and praised the Ambanis for creating a divine atmosphere with the glory of the Shlokas and the chanting of the mantras in Maha Aarti conducted on Sunday night.
The three-day mega event concluded with an after-party by Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani. There was a surprising visual delight for the fans as Akon and Salman Khan indulged in an impromptu duet as famous singer Sukhbir performed on his popular track ‘Gal Ban Gayi’.
While many would be wondering why Anant Ambani chose Jamnagar for his pre wedding festivities, the 28-year-old while speaking to India Today revealed that he was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Wed in India' call.
Anant also said that Jamnagar is his grandmother's birthplace, and the town where his grandfather Dhirubhai Ambani and father Mukesh Ambani started their business.
Prime Minister Modi in his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio address in November last year had spoken about the trend of some "big families" organizing weddings abroad. PM Modi had called for a 'Wed in India' change on the lines of his pet 'Make in India' campaign.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, daughter of Shaila Merchant, an entrepreneur, and Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare, are set to tie the knot in July this year.
