For even richer, not poorer…
Son of India’s richest man weds daughter of wealthy diamond merchant
THE stars came out to shine in all their glory at the no-expensespared, diamond-and-pearls, wedding of the son of India’s wealthiest man in Mumbai on Saturday.
Global celebrities, including Bollywood film stars, company executives, politicians and sports personalities, descended on the city for the wedding celebrations of Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta.
Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google, former British prime minister Tony Blair, film stars Rajinikanth and Priyanka Chopra, and cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Hardik Pandya were among the guests at the Jio World Centre.
Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor were seen dancing with bridegroom Ambani, and plenty of Indians shared photos on social media, with #AkashAmbani and #AkashShlokaWedding among the top trending hashtags in India.
The groom is the son of Reliance Industries boss Mukesh Ambani. The bride is the daughter of Russell Mehta, a wealthy diamond merchant and managing director of familyowned company Rosy Blue.
Celebrations began in Mumbai with feasts, singing, dancing and other pre-wedding rituals for the wedding of the 28-year-olds.
Photos on Twitter showed elaborate floral decorations and celebrities posing on a lawn before the wedding.
Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita and the bridegroom wore various shades of pink.
Nita Ambani donned a custom-made off-white handembroidered and embellished lehenga for the celebrations, made by leading designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
Actress Priyanka Chopra-Jonas exuded glamour as she joined her family for the celebrations.
The actress, 36, cut a striking figure in an intricate pale blue lace sari, which was adorned with thousands of shimmering beads.
In keeping with the ice blue tone, the Quantico star accessorised the traditional Indian silk dress with a jawdropping diamond ring and a matching bangle.
She wore her hair in voluminous curls and enhanced her natural beauty with flushed cheeks and magenta lipstick.
The latest wedding was a larger-than-life affair, but perhaps the most entertaining aspect for keeping social media users roaring was a spoof video posted by comedian Bhuvan Bam.
Following the tradition of lip-syncing funny lines on videos of British royal weddings, Bam added a hilarious commentary to snippets from where celebrities, including the Ambani family, posed for the press just before entering the venue, throwing in details like having the people greet one another with “Jai Jio”. Among the celebrities featured in the video are Alia Bhatt, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Shah Rukh Khan.
International pop band Maroon 5 performed at the reception on Sunday and even made the newly-weds groove to their much-lauded track She Will Be Loved.
Britain’s Coldplay and The Chainsmokers had performed at the pre-wedding bash held in St Moritz, Switzerland, a few days before the wedding. Last year, Beyoncé had flown to India to perform at Mukesh’s daughter Isha Ambani’s pre-wedding celebrations in Udaipur.
Oscar and Grammy winner AR Rahman had also performed at one of her wedding receptions last year.
Mukesh Ambani, whose business empire spans oil and gas, telecoms and retail, is Asia’s richest man and the world’s 13th wealthiest, according to Forbes magazine, with his wealth estimated at $50 billion (R714bn).