Not long ago, the world embraced intimate weddings, with couples tying the knot in the presence of only a handful of their closest family and friends. The idea of a big, fat Indian wedding had taken a backseat. But the July 12 marriage of Anant, the youngest son of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani (net worth: $113.5 billion), that began in March with over-the-top, beyond-extravagant celebrations and a price tag of $600 million, has flipped that notion. Wars, floods, famines, collapsing bridges, and assassination attempts all took a backseat to the six-month wedding of Anant and his childhood sweetheart Radhika Merchant, the daughter of Viren Merchant, a pharmaceutical manufacturer with a net worth of Rs 7.5 billion ($90 million). A post-wedding bash in London will also take place, around the end of this month. The pre-wedding events began in Jamnagar, Gujarat, in western India, where the sprawling Reliance refinery complex – the mainstay of Ambani’s flagship Reliance Industries Ltd – is situated. (Currently, one third of Jamnagar’s production is from Russian crude oil.) Beside the usual wedding-related expenses and a showcase of India’s finest fashion designers, the Ambanis flew in celebrities from the world over to take part in what the Mumbai Police labeled a “public event,” to the outrage of inconvenienced residents. From Rihanna to Katy Perry to Justin Beiber to the Backstreet Boys, David Guetta and even Andrea Bocelli, recruited to perform for them, the Ambanis left no stone unturned. Also, incidentally, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who like the Ambanis is an ethnic Gujarati, also turned up to bless the newlywed couple.
Opulence and India’s complex socioeconomic condition The first time the Ambani wedding caught global attention was following Rihanna’s performance in Jamnagar. Also at the jam were the who’s who of India’s elite – no one, in India or overseas, can resist videos of Bollywood’s three superstar Khans dancing together. As clips of Rihanna’s act went viral, social media was rife with videos wondering who this Indian family was, and about the clout they hold in the country. “The international audience perceives the Ambani festivities as a grand showcase of India’s cultural richness and modern-day opulence. These events demonstrate that India is not just a land of diverse traditions and rich heritage but also a thriving center for luxury and modernity,” fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore, whose creations draped many on the guest list, told RT. “This level of extravagance highlights the immense wealth and economic capacity that exists within India, providing a significant contrast to the common perception of the country as largely poor,” says Srishti Kapur, co-founder of Floral Art, the floral jewellery firm that elegantly complemented Radhika’s ensemble for one of the events. “This display of opulence ultimately mirrors India’s complex socioeconomic condition, where extraordinary wealth and significant poverty coexist.” Srishti Kapur told RT that much of the overseas spotlight was due to the number of global artists and VIP guests flown in: Bill and Melinda Gates, Hillary Clinton, Mark Zuckerberg as well as Kim and Khloé Kardashian, among others. Rathore elaborates further that events like these, despite economic challenges, highlight the country’s growing financial power and the prosperity of its entrepreneurial class. “It’s crucial to recognise that India is a country of contrasts, and such festivities reflect the celebration of success and the dedication to bringing the best of Indian artistry and hospitality to the forefront,” he says. In fact, the Ambani family undertake a lot of charity work, and on July 2, days before Anant’s marriage, they held a mass wedding where they sponsored 50 underprivileged couple.
Windsors of India vs farmers’ daughters To set the wedding budget in context, the $600 million spent accounts for around 0.5% of Mukesh’s estimated net worth. This, in a nation where most lower-middle-class Indians seek back-breaking loans to put together funds for their children’s marriages. “The international audience will see this as a vulgar display of wealth in a country where 800 million people depend on free ration. If at all, the wedding gives an insight into the ugly inequality in India,” Parth MN, an award-winning independent journalist who extensively covers rural issues in India, told RT. “The wedding is happening in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, a state where 557 farmers died by suicide in the first six months of 2024, or three per day. Most of them killed themselves because they had a debt running into six-digit figures. In the meantime, the cost of the wedding festivities went into eight-digit figures,” he added. Parth also highlighted the hypocrisy of it being declared a “public event.” The actual wedding and a few
