Social media posts from Reliance and Bollywood stars have generated interest in the wedding, which has been criticised by some.
The son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani is getting married on Friday in a lavish ceremony that has been a hot topic in India and abroad, with his father’s $260 billion Reliance Industries taking to social media to promote the event.
Reliance’s efforts, along with posts by a host of Bollywood stars and media coverage, helped generate public interest in the wedding, overshadowing some critical posts on social media that questioned the extravagance at a time of rising inequality in India.
Anant, the Ambanis’ youngest son, 29, will marry his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant, 29, in a star-studded ceremony in Mumbai attended by celebrities and politicians including Kim Kardashian, Mike Tyson, Tony Blair and Boris Johnson. It will be followed by three days of festive receptions.
An unnamed Reliance executive described the event as a “powerful symbol of India’s growing stature on the global stage.”
“The presence of eminent individuals highlights India’s economic, political, intellectual and scientific strength,” the note, which was shared with reporters, said.
Ambani, Asia’s richest man, is known for throwing lavish parties, especially for his three children, Akash, Isha and Anant. International artists perform at the events, and a large number of Bollywood stars usually attend the parties, which cost millions of dollars.
This is set to be Ambani’s most extravagant party yet, though it is not known how much money was spent.
“lavish spending”
Some, such as opposition politician Thomas Isaac, have described the spending as “outrageous”.
Their money may be legal, but such lavish spending is a sin against Mother Earth and [the] “Poor,” he said in a post on X.
The wedding was considered a public event, leading to traffic restrictions in Mumbai’s main business district for four days, which also sparked public outrage.
With access restricted and details tightly guarded, the information was provided to an eager public in part through Reliance’s official Facebook page, which has 2.3 million followers.
The account posted videos of the dance performances and photos to give a glimpse into the special celebrations.
One mail A photo posted on Reliance’s Facebook account this week, which has garnered 54,000 likes, showed the Ambanis at a private concert, dancing to a Bollywood song, a common practice at Indian weddings. It was promoted with hashtags such as #ARWeddingCelebrations.
Media access to the wedding venue was restricted on Friday night, with only a limited number of photographers and TV crews allowed to film arriving guests.
Spectators held umbrellas in the rain outside the venue, some taking photos, while the sound of Bollywood movies could be heard from inside.
An executive at a foreign company in India who is scheduled to attend Ambani’s wedding this week told Reuters that organizers will likely put tape over the camera phones of guests entering to ensure no pictures are taken.
Most of Ambani’s celebrations are closely guarded.
The wedding festivities began in March with a three-day pre-wedding party for 1,200 guests and a performance by superstar Rihanna, followed by a luxury cruise to Europe for 800 guests in May.
Days later, several Bollywood actresses posted photos on Instagram, wearing designer clothes, for their millions of followers, without any details about the Ambani cruise celebrations.
The interest in this event was so great that Indian television news channels followed its details minute by minute.
“The world is going down… The guest list of what to eat. All the details on Times Now,” said the channel’s news tickers on Friday evening.
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