Stars gather in Mumbai for the wedding of the son of the country’s richest man

The richest man in India, and even in Asia, is marrying his son on Friday, July 12. The ceremony will last three days and will take place in the heart of Bombay. The newlyweds are 29 years old. His name is Anant, he is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, an industrial giant in oil, gas and petrochemicals. His father is the 11th richest man in the world, estimated at $123 billion in the Forbes billionaires ranking. He grew up in the family home, a 27-story skyscraper that cost a billion dollars. The fiancée, Radhika, is the daughter of a chemical industry tycoon. They have known each other since childhood.

The guests at the festivities of the century are celebrities. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reality TV stars like the Kardashian sisters and Bollywood stars. They received their invitations in a chest that included a small silver temple. The festivities leading up to the alliance began in March 2024 with more than 1,500 guests, including a concert by Rihanna, followed by a four-day cruise in the Mediterranean with 1,200 other guests, including tenor Andrea Bocelli and David Guetta. At each stage, the bride appeared in a new designer dress.

This alliance of two great families in the world’s 5th largest economy is shocking, because it is also taking place just a stone’s throw from the slums of Bombay. A former Minister of Economy and member of the Indian Communist Party considers this marriage, estimated at 293 million euros, obscene in a country where the monthly salary of 90% of families is less than 1,100 euros. To erase these inequalities, the Indian tycoon organized a feast for 50,000 people in his hometown, and he financed the weddings of around fifty disadvantaged couples near Bombay.