Ambani-Merchant, the marriage of excess

He is the youngest son of Asia’s richest man. Anant Ambani, 29, married the daughter of another multi-billionaire, Radhika Merchant, on Friday, July 12. The extraordinary wedding brought together the country’s biggest stars as well as international stars such as the Kardashian sisters and former British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair. Estimated at nearly 320 million euros, the party was a demonstration of the family’s wealth.

“They served food on silver platters, there was gold everywhere. (…) And the bride’s dress is said to have cost close to a million euros.”says Nishita Aggarwal, a wedding planner. The festivities, which will last another two days, have been dragging on since March. For the pre-wedding party alone, the family treated themselves to private concerts by Justin Bieber and Rihanna. In a country where inequality is at its highest, this extravagance of luxury makes some people uncomfortable. “This is shocking. They would be better off using this money to reduce poverty in India.”says a man.