Anant Ambani & Radhika Merchant's pre-wedding bash: Rihanna performance, 1,200 guests
Rihanna (L) is set to perform at the pre-wedding bash for Anant Ambani (R), son of Indian businessman Mukesh Dhirubhai Amani, and his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant. (Photos by Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images & SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP via Ge
JAMNAGAR, India - The son of India’s richest man is getting married, and the pre-wedding bash includes a performance by pop superstar Rihanna, some 1,200 guests that include billionaires from around the world, heads of state, and Hollywood and Bollywood royalty, and live animals.
Anant Ambani, the 28-year-old son of billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, is set to marry long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant in July. But the family is throwing a pre-wedding, three-day bash in the family’s hometown of Jamnagar, India, starting on Friday.
The nearly 1,200-person guest list includes Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sunder Pichai and Ivanka Trump; Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla; legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar; and Bollywood celebrities such as Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee, according to the Associated Press.
The guest list also includes Mohammed Bin Jassim al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar; Stephen Harper, former Canadian prime minister; and the king and queen of Bhutan.
In addition to a Rihanna performance, they’ll also be entertained by magician David Blaine and famous Bollywood singers.
Anant Ambani & Radhika Merchant's pre-wedding bash
The three-day pre-wedding bash is in Jamnagar, a city of around 600,000 in a near-desert part of Gujarat state.
It’s the family’s hometown, and the home of the main oil refinery of their business empire, Reliance Industries. There will also be traditional ceremonies in a temple complex.
On Wednesday, the Ambani family organized a community food service for 51,000 people living in nearby villages, according to the Associated Press.
Merchant, the bride, is the daughter of Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant.
The events happening this weekend provide a glimpse of the opulence expected at the wedding itself.
Guests will don jungle-themed outfits to visit an animal rescue center run by Anant Ambani. Known as "Vantara," meaning "Star Of The Forest," the 3,000 acre center houses abused, injured and endangered animals, especially elephants.
The invitation says guests will start each day with a new dress code, with mood boards and an army of hair stylists, makeup artists and Indian wear designers at their hotel to help them prepare.
Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man
FILE - Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani (2L) along with his wife Nita (4R) pose with their elder son Akash (R) his wife Shloka (2R), daughter Isha (3R) her husband Anand Piramal (L) and younger son Anant (4L) his fiancée Radhika Merchant (3L) during
Mukesh Ambani is listed by Forbes as the richest person in Asia. His Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, with $100 billion in annual revenue and interests ranging from oil and gas to telecoms and retail.
The 66-year-old has begun handing over leadership to his sons and daughter. Elder son Akash is now chairperson of Reliance Jio; daughter Isha oversees retail; and younger son Anant has been inducted into the new energy business.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.