Rihanna and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg were in India on Friday for a lavish pre-wedding party hosted by Asia’s richest man. Other globally influential figures are also expected to take part in the celebrations.
The three-day celebration, hosted by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, will also be attended by global technology chiefs, industry giants, Bollywood stars, pop stars and politicians.
This weekend’s party is a lavish pre-wedding ceremony for his younger son Anant and his fiancée Radhika Merchant, the daughter of a wealthy pharmaceutical industry man.
Photos published by Indian media confirmed that Rihanna, Zuckerberg and the Facebook founder’s wife Priscilla Chan arrived in Jamnagar, Ambani’s hometown, along with former President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka.
“Umbrella” singer Rihanna, who gave birth to her second child in August, is set to headline Friday’s entertainment, making her first public appearance since last year’s Super Bowl.
Broadcaster India Today reported that the Barbados-born musician and beauty entrepreneur has received offers of up to $9 million to perform at her event.
Ambani, 66, is the chairman of Reliance Industries, India’s largest company by market capitalization, and the 10th richest person in the world, with a fortune of more than $116 billion, according to the Forbes Rich List.
He inherited a thriving oil, gas and petrochemical business from his father and built it into a huge commercial enterprise that profited from retail, telecommunications and his Indian Premier League cricket team.
Reliance’s alliances with big-name fashion brands such as Burberry, Armani and Jimmy Choo have helped the conglomerate satisfy India’s middle class’ growing appetite for luxury goods.
Ambani’s family home, Antilia, is his 27-storey skyscraper that reportedly cost more than $1 billion to build, employs 600 people at any given time, and is one of Mumbai’s most famous buildings. He is one of the landmarks.
After its completion in 2010, it was criticized by author Arundhati Roy and others for highlighting the vast disparity between India’s economic elite and the poor.
Ambani held her daughter’s most expensive wedding ever in India in 2018, which reportedly cost $100 million and was attended by US pop star Beyoncé.
Younger son Ananth, 28, is also a director of several companies owned by Reliance and is set to marry Merchant, 29, later this year.
The Ambani tribe began its celebrations on Wednesday with a three-day festival for villagers in the Reliance township of Jamnagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
The Ambanis are also constructing a Hindu temple complex in the city to commemorate their wedding, the Reliance Foundation said in a social media statement.
– Star-studded guest list –
American illusionist David Blaine will also be joining in the entertainment for guests including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and current and former political leaders.
Disney CEO Bob Iger is also invited, as a result of the agreement reached on Wednesday between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney to combine their Indian media companies.
In the fifth-largest economy in the world and the most populous country, the combination will create a $8.5 billion entertainment giant.
A who’s-who of India’s ultra-rich elite is also invited, including Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and M.S. Dhoni, and business mogul Gautam Adani.
The Hindustan Times newspaper stated that there will be a “jungle fever” day that includes a visit to an animal rescue centre run by Ambani, among other themes, events, and dress rules for the main celebrations, which will last until Sunday.