How Foreign Media Covered the Ambani Wedding: Extravagant, Lavish, World’s Most Expensive
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding has been described as one of the most high-profile events in India. Anant Ambani, the younger son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani, married Radhika Merchant, daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant, on July 12 in Mumbai.
Pre-Wedding Festivities
The wedding festivities began long before the big day. The couple’s roka ceremony took place in 2022 at the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara. Early in 2023, the Ambanis hosted a grand engagement party at their Mumbai residence, Antilia, preceded by a mehendi function in January at a five-star hotel.
in February 2024, the pre-wedding celebrations kicked off with a Lagan Lakhvanu ceremony. In March, a three-day extravaganza at the Ambani family’s Jamnagar estate included performances by Rihanna and Diljit Dosanjh and was attended by VIPs like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. In late May, a luxury cruise around the Mediterranean featured private concerts by Shakira, the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, and David Guetta, with Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh in attendance.
The week leading up to the wedding included numerous events: a sangeet with a concert by Justin Bieber, a mameru ceremony, garba night, haldi ceremony, mehendi ceremony, a mass wedding for the underprivileged, a Shiv Shakti pooja, and a Graha Shanti pooja.
International Coverage
The Washington Post
Describing the wedding as “spectacular” and “vulgar,” The Washington Post noted the extensive guest list, which included pop stars, politicians, tech tycoons, and Bollywood stars, gaining more attention than the couple themselves.
The Sun
The UK’s The Sun called it “the world’s most expensive wedding,” highlighting the booking of 100 private jets for international guests, 20 million flowers for decoration, 37,500 meal options prepared by 500 chefs, and the cost of ₹6 to 7 lakh per invite. The paper also pointed out the stark wealth disparity in India, where the richest 1% own over 40% of the country’s wealth.
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera focused on the criticism of the opulent festivities, with a headline stating, “Star-studded Ambani wedding highlights India’s rich vs poor divide.” They also covered public ire over traffic restrictions in Mumbai due to the wedding.
The Guardian
The Guardian published several articles on the wedding, including a detailed guest list and an opinion piece by Hannah Ellis-Petersen, who described the event as surpassing “even the wildest of imaginations in terms of opulence, ostentatious displays of wealth, and stamina.”
Conclusion
The Ambani wedding has been covered extensively by international media, highlighting the extravagance and luxury of the event, while also bringing attention to the broader socioeconomic issues in India.
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