What are reality TV star Kim Kardashian, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and famous Indian cricketer Jasprit Bumrah all doing in the same room together? Attending a wedding, of course . Anati Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in Asia , married Radhika Merchant in a three-day wedding ceremony in Mumbai this weekend . The event, which has been criticized for being a display of extreme privilege in an impoverished country, has been capturing headlines for most of the year, as pre-wedding ceremonies and celebrations have featured appearances by some of the most famous names in the world.
The wedding is estimated to cost around $132 million to $156 million , but the exact figure is unknown. This isn’t the first time the Ambanis have made headlines for their lavish weddings: In 2018, Beyoncé performed a concert at a pre-wedding celebration of Isha Ambani, the daughter of Mukesh Ambani. Mukesh Ambani is the owner of Reliance Industries , a multinational conglomerate that sells everything from petrochemicals to cheap phones .
Indian weddings are known to be lavish, opulent affairs, with multiple religious ceremonies and parties to celebrate the groom and bride. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry, making it the second-largest wedding market in the world, behind the United States. Indian weddings stand out because they go on for multiple days, with different events and celebrations that each have their own cultural significance.
The Ambani weddi.