This came to mind when I was going through the list of some of the artistes who were invited for this grandeur celebrations which still hasn’t ended. The glitzy over-the-top events and ceremonies included performances from artistes such as Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Luis Fonsi, and Rema. And they were all paid handsomely.
In fact Rema, from Nigeria, was paid a fee of $3 million to perform his global hit ‘Calm Down’ at the event. The celebrations, connected with Ambani’s wedding, began in February, this year, and there were many events that featured international artistes. However, the Ambani family seems to have forgotten India’s foreign policy -‘Neighbourhood First’ – when working on the lineup of artistes to do the needful at their son’s extravaganza.
Aren’t we neighbours! And that boils down to the all-important question: How come Sri Lankan artistes were left out? There are some local artistes who say they have a huge fan base in the Asian region, and in India, in particular, while claiming to be global icons, as well! Perhaps, the Ambanis have never heard of our so-called superstars. What a pity! Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi did his thing at the couple’s wedding ceremony singing his hit song ‘Despacito’. Justin Bieber performed at the couple’s Sangeet ceremony, a pre-wedding celebration’ traditionally centred around music and dance, belting out his chart-topping hits, including ‘Baby’, ‘Love Yourself’, ‘Where Are Ü Now.