From Backstreet Boys to luxury cruise: Inside the second pre-wedding celebrations for Asia’s richest man’s son

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Louise Thomas

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Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Salman Khan, and former Indian men’s cricket team captain MS Dhoni are among the 800 guests expected to attend the second lavish pre-wedding bash of the youngest son of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.

Twenty eight-year-old Anant Ambani’s wedding to childhood sweetheart Radhika Merchant is set to take place on 12 July, but the four-day luxury cruise, starting 29 May, is already setting expectations for extravagant wedding celebrations.

Ms Merchant, 29, is from a family with business interest in pharmaceuticals.

According to the invite, which has gone viral on social media, the theme for the cruise is La Vite E Un Viaggio – translating to Life is a Journey – and promises guests “an adventure of a lifetime”.

According to Indian media reports, the festivities kicked off with a welcome lunch for the guests who boarded a luxury cruise liner on 29 May, which set off for a 4,380kms voyage from Palermo to the South of France and then back, and was then followed by a Starry Night-themed evening gala.

On 30th May, guests were to be taken on a sightseeing tour of Rome, ending with a toga party at night.

On Friday, a party to celebrate the first birthday of Veda, Mukesh Ambani’s granddaughter by his oldest son Akash Ambani, will be held during the day. The evening will see a masquerade ball in Cannes.

The revelry will conclude on 1 June with a party titled La Dolce Vita in Portofino, meant to capture the spirit of an Italian summer.

Guests have been given a detailed itinerary complete with dress codes for each party, ranging from “classic cruise” wear to Greco-Roman inspired looks for the toga party. Merchant is expected to don a “Galactic Princess” dress created using aero aluminium, by New York-based designer Grace Ling.

The Ambanis have spared no expense, as a team of 600 staff has been commissioned to pamper guests while on the cruise.

Bollywood actors Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Karisma Kapoor, Karan Johar, Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Disha Patani and social media influencer Orry have all reportedly left for the cruise, according to paparazzi.

While not much information on the cruise is expected to be available, since a no-cell phones -policy is being strictly enforced, some information has trickled out.

A video doing the rounds on social media shows popular US boy band Backstreet Boys performing at the Starry Night themed party.

The wedding celebrations kicked off with the first pre-wedding celebration held in Mukesh Ambani’s hometown Jamnagar in March, where he reportedly spent $150m. The three-day festivities included a performance by US singer Rihanna, bejewelled elephants, and the who’s who of Bollywood performing for 1,200 guests, which included Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Ivanka Trump.

Mukesh Ambani is Asia’s richest man and a renowned oil and telecommunications tycoon, competing closely with billionaire Gautam Adani, chair of Adani Group of companies, according to the real-time billionaires list worldwide compiled by Forbes as of 30 January 2024.

The Ambani family, with an estimated net worth of $113bn (£89.53bn), according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, runs India’s leading conglomerates in all sectors – petroleum refining and marketing, organised retail, telecommunication giant Jio and other digital streaming services.