By ASHOK SHARMA
Associated Press
NEW DELHI (AP) — What happens when the son of Asia’s richest man is about to get married?
His father throws a three-day prenuptial bash four months before the actual ceremony.
Tycoons from around the world, heads of state, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood stars descended on the small western Indian city of Jamnagar on March 1 where billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani kickstarted a big fat wedding celebration for his youngest son.
The nearly 1,200-person guest list included pop superstar Rihanna, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sunder Pichai, Ivanka Trump, and Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan.
This photograph released by the Reliance group shows (from right) billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Anant Ambani, Paula Hurd, and Bill Gates posing for a photograph at a pre-wedding bash of Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant in Jamnagar, India, on Mar. 2, 2024. (Reliance group via AP)
This photograph released by the Reliance group shows (from right) billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, and Akash Ambani posing for a photograph at a pre-wedding bash of Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani in Jamnagar, India on Mar. 2, 2024. (Reliance group via AP)
Anant Ambani, 28, and his long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant, 29, will tie the knot in July. Radhika is the daughter of Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant.
Mukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the world’s 10th richest man with a net worth of $115 billion, according to Forbes. He is also the richest person in Asia.
His Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, reporting over $100 billion in annual revenue, with interests ranging from petrochemicals, and oil and gas to telecoms and retail.
Under Ambani’s leadership, Reliance—founded by his father in 1966—sparked a telecom price war with the launch of the 4G phone and broadband service Jio in 2016. Today, it has more than 420 million subscribers and offers 5G services. Earlier this week, Disney struck an $8.5 billion deal to merge its India business with Ambani’s Reliance Industries, forming a new media giant.
The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-story private apartment building, named Antila, worth $1 billion in Mumbai. It has three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private movie theater, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.