Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump among guests at pre-wedding party for son of Asia’s richest man
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Rihanna, Ivanka Trump and Disney chief Bob Iger are among the world’s super rich and elite figures expected to attend the extravagant pre-wedding bash of the youngest son of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.
Anant Ambani, 28, is marrying his childhood sweetheart Radhika Merchant, 29, in July later this year but the three-day festivities in Gujarat’s Jamnagar starting on 1 March are being seen as setting the stage for the larger wedding celebrations. Ms Merchant is from a family with business interest in pharmaceuticals.
Mukesh Ambani is Asia’s richest man and a renowned oil and telecommunications tycoon, competing closely with billionaire Gautam Adani, chair of Adani Group of companies, according to the real-time billionaires list worldwide compiled by Forbes as of 30 January 2024.
Expected to be one of the world’s grandest weddings of the year, the Ambani family has marked the three-day affair for guests to enjoy a lavish gala with over 2,500 dishes cooked by a team of 65 chefs.
The Ambani family, with net worth of £85bn, runs India’s leading conglomerates in all sectors – petroleum refining and marketing, organised retail, telecommunication giant Jio and other digital streaming services.
Top Indian celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Alia Bhatt are expected to attend.
According to an event list, the celebrations will kick off with a glitzy cocktail party called “an evening in Everland”, followed by a jungle themed celebration on Saturday where guests have been asked to wear comfortable shoes for a safari walk.
The groom’s love for nature is set to have inspired the wildlife theme of pre-wedding celebration. The invitation says: “Anant has lovingly nurtured this complex into a haven of care and compassion for thousands of rescued animals”.
The two got engaged in a traditional ceremony last year in January at the grand Ambani residence of Antilia in Mumbai.