BILLIONAIRE Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani celebrates the lavish finale of his son's wedding this week, highlighting his staggering wealth, as well as India's rapid economic growth and stark financial inequalities.
Ambani's younger son Anant and fiancee Radhika Merchant, both 29, are set to marry in a three-day Hindu ceremony in India's financial capital Mumbai starting Friday (12).
Asia's richest man is no stranger to throwing a costly wedding.
He held the most expensive wedding in India to date for his daughter in 2018, which reportedly cost up to $100 million (£77m) and saw US singer Beyonce perform.
Groom Anant Ambani poses for pictures with Nita Ambani and Mukesh Ambani . REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
This week's opulent celebrations are set to raise the bar, with celebrities, politicians and business elite jetting into the monsoon-hit megacity of Mumbai.
Pre-wedding parties for his son included multi-day galas, a European cruise for 1,200 guests, a specially built Hindu temple and entertainment provided by pop stars ranging from Rihanna to Justin Bieber.
Celebrations started in March
Wedding celebrations began in March with a three-day gala for 1,500-plus guests in Gujarat.
Rihanna performed her first concert since last year's Super Bowl for wedding guests including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and ex-US president Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka.
David Blaine did magic tricks.
Festivities also involved a trip to the Ambani's "animal rescue centre" housing exotic animals, and a specially built Hindu temple complex.
A second leg in June was a four-day Mediterranean cruise with 1,200 guests, Merchant told Vogue.
Singer Katy Perry performed at a masquerade ball at a French chateau in Cannes, while the Backstreet Boys and US rapper Pitbull also provided entertainment.
DJ David Guetta played at a toga party at sea.
The cruise ended in Italy's Portofino, where tenor Andrea Bocelli serenaded the party in the town square.
Drummers perform as staff members of Antilia, the house of Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, dance on the day of Anant Ambani's wedding in Mumbai, India, July 12, 2024. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani
Wedding spectacle
The wedding invitation was an intricate chest incorporating a mini silver temple. Merchant's multiple dresses have been as elaborate.
They have included custom designs from Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and a vintage Yves Saint Laurent for Dior, she told Vogue.
Another was a sweeping chiffon dress printed with a love letter from her fiancee, the magazine reported.
"I want to be able to show it to my kids and grandkids, and say that 'this is what our love was'", Merchant said.
Ambani, 67, the chairman of Reliance Industries, has a fortune of more than $123 billion (£95bn), and is the 11th wealthiest person in the world, according to the Forbes billionaires list.
Ambani inherited a thriving industrial enterprise spanning oil, gas and petrochemicals.
Vehicles pass by the venue of Anant Ambani's wedding to Radhika Merchant in Mumbai, India, July 11, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
He grew it into a commercial behemoth with lucrative interests in retail, telecommunications and an Indian Premier League cricket team.
Ambani's family home Antilia is one of Mumbai's most prominent landmarks. The 27-floor building reportedly cost more than £770m to erect and has a permanent staff of 600 servants.
Merchant is the daughter of pharmaceutical moguls.
Ambani provided a feast for 50,000 people in his hometown of Jamnagar in Gujarat during the first round of parties.
Ambani also organised a mass wedding for 52 "underprivileged" couples near Mumbai, promising to support "hundreds more such weddings" across India.
(AFP)
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)