India tycoon’s son to marry after months of festivities

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and former UK PM Tony Blair are among the international guests that have arrived in Mumbai for the wedding ceremony of the son of Asia’s richest man on Friday.

Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, will tie the knot with Radhika Merchant, daughter of pharma tycoons Viren and Shaila Merchant.

The four-day wedding extravaganza in Mumbai city is the final stop in a string of lavish parties the family has hosted since March.

Key roads in the city are sealed off for several hours a day until the festivities end on Monday.

The months of lavish celebrations have already featured performances by popstars like Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

But it has also led to backlash – city dwellers have complained of traffic snarls, while others have questioned the ostentatious display of wealth at the seemingly never-ending celebrations.

On Friday, the city witnessed heavy rains with waterlogging reported in some parts.

Mukesh Ambani, 66, is at present the world’s 10th richest man with a net worth of $115bn, according to Forbes. Reliance Industries, founded by his father in 1966, is a massive conglomerate that operates in sectors ranging from petroleum and retail, to financial services and telecoms.

Anant Ambani is the youngest of his three children, all of whom are on the board of Reliance Industries. The 29-year-old is involved in Reliance’s energy businesses and is on the board of Reliance Foundation.

On Friday, the couple will get married in a traditional Hindu ceremony at the Jio World Convention Centre.

Reports say the family will host a grand reception through the weekend, before a final reception for their household staff on Monday.

Rumours on the internet suggest that Adele could be performing at the wedding, but the family has not confirmed this.

Mumbai police have labelled the wedding a “public event” since it would be attended by several international and Indian VIPs, reports Reuters news agency.

The city police has also imposed traffic restrictions around the venue.

From Friday to Monday, roads around the convention centre will be open only for “event vehicles” between 13:00 India time (07:30 GMT) to midnight, it said.

Rajan Mehra, CEO of air charter company Club One Air, told Reuters that the family had rented three Falcon-2000 jets to ferry wedding guests to the event.

“The guests are coming from all over and each aircraft will make multiple trips across the country,” he said.

The restrictions have sparked anger among the city residents who say they are already struggling with traffic jams and monsoon flooding.

The wedding festivities began in March when the family held a three-day pre-wedding party in their home state of Gujarat.

Among the 1,200 guests to attend the celebration were international celebrities, politicians, and members of the business world – including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft’s Bill Gates.

The party started with a performance by Rihanna on the first night. Diljit Dosanjh, the first Punjabi singer to perform at Coachella, took the stage on the second night, while rapper Akon closed the show on the final day of celebrations.

In June, the Ambanis organised another pre-wedding celebration, this time, a luxury cruise from Italy to France. The Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and Pitbull performed for the 800 guests, which included Bollywood stars and cricketers.

Then came the final round of celebrations, which began earlier this week when Bieber landed in Mumbai.

Social media has been flooded with photos and videos of him singing in front of an ecstatic audience.

Money was also lavished on constructing 14 temples inside a sprawling complex in Jamnagar to showcase India’s cultural heritage and provide a backdrop for the wedding. As part of the celebrations, the Ambanis hosted a mass wedding for 50 underprivileged couples too.

On Wednesday, the family hosted a bhandara – a community feast for underprivileged people.

The Ambanis have not revealed how much this wedding is costing them but wedding planners estimate they’ve already spent anywhere between 11bn and 13bn rupees [$132m-$156m]. It was rumoured Rihanna had been paid $7m (£5.5m) for her performance, while the figure suggested for Bieber is $10m.