The unmatched extravagance of Indian billionaire heir Anant Ambani's wedding is creating divisions in a country where the gap between the rich and poor is stark and growing. The son of Asia's richest man has already partied through a series of pre-wedding festivities for his coming union to Radhika Merchant, including a three-day March event with a performance by pop superstar Rihanna and a guest list featuring billionaires Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, a slew of Bollywood stars and former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper. There was also a three-day cruise in May featuring Katy Perry, Pitbull and David Guetta, and a July 5 sangeet — a traditional Punjabi and North Indian pre-wedding ceremony involving song and dance — with a performance by Canada's Justin Bieber, who was reportedly paid $10 million US for the gig.
'New age royalty of India' "It's like [the Ambanis] are the new age royalty of India," Surbhi Gupta, South Asia editor at New Lines Magazine , told CBC. "They expanded our imagination manifold on how an Indian wedding could be." Anant Ambani, centre, smiles as he shares a light moment last week during a pre-wedding ceremony, ahead of his marriage to Radhika Merchant.
(Rafiq Maqbool/The Associated Press) The wedding itself, set to take place over three days this weekend in Mumbai, promises to outdo all of its preceding events, and is rumoured to feature performances by Adele and Toronto rapper Drake, who are both on the guest list. The events have capture.