- Zoya Mateen
- BBC News, Delhi
Image source, Getty Images
Some of the world's most influential people have arrived in the Indian state of Gujarat to attend a wedding reception hosted by Asia's richest man.
Mark Zuckerberg, Rihanna and Bill Gates were among those in attendance at the pre-wedding celebration hosted by Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani for his son.
Anant Ambani, 28, is set to marry Radhika Merchant in July.
Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan will also be attending the three-day event in Jamnagar city.
Mukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the world's 10th richest person with a net worth of $115 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Founded by his father in 1966, Reliance Industries is a huge conglomerate with operations in a wide range of sectors, from oil refining and retail to financial services and telecommunications.
Anant Ambani is the youngest of three children who sit on the board of Reliance Industries Ltd. The 28-year-old Ambani works in the company's energy business and is also on the board of the Reliance Foundation.
The lavish pre-wedding event is in line with the Ambani family's track record of hosting lavish wedding receptions.
In 2018, pop sensation Beyoncé performed at a pre-wedding celebration for Ambani's daughter Isha Ambani in the city of Udaipur, where guests included former US secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.
A Bloomberg report at the time cited sources who said Isha's wedding cost $100 million, but a person close to the family denied this, saying it cost around $15 million.
The current celebrations began earlier this week with an event where the Ambani family treated locals to a meal in Jamnagar.
Around 1,200 guests will attend the pre-wedding party, which will be held in Jamnagar town near Reliance's main oil refinery.
Reuters reported that the guest list includes Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla. Disney CEO Bob Iger is also expected to attend the party, after announcing just days ago that Disney would merge its Indian assets with Reliance.
Zuckerberg, who is on a busy tour of Asia, arrived in Jamnagar on Thursday. Bill Gates, who arrived in India a few days ago, had posted a video of himself sipping tea made by a local shopkeeper, which subsequently went viral.
Other attendees believed to have arrived on Friday included cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo and BP CEO Murray Auchincloss.
Other attendees expected at Ambani's event include BlackRock co-founder Larry Fink, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Ivanka Trump.
Image source, ANI News Agency
“The guest list appears to feature more RSVPs from global giants than attended the weddings of Mr Ambani's two children in 2018 and 2019, underscoring Reliance's growing influence and role as a conduit connecting global tech, media and energy giants to the Indian economy,” Bloomberg wrote.
Among the entertainment on offer will be performances by Rihanna and illusionist David Blaine.
The guests are also scheduled to visit an animal rescue centre in Jamnagar that reportedly houses more than 2,000 animals. The dress code for the visit is “jungle fever”, according to planning documents seen by Reuters.
