India is preparing for what could be one of the world’s most lavish weddings, a spectacle that could even put the fictional nuptials in Crazy Rich Asians to shame.
Today, Asia’s richest man — oil-and-telecom tycoon Mukesh Ambani — is scheduled to give away his daughter Isha to billionaire Ajay Piramal’s son, Anand.
There have been a wide range of figures for how much the week-long extravaganza would cost. People familiar with the planning estimated the expenses at about US$100 million, while a person close to the family said that the amount is not more than US$15 million. The people asked not to be identified speaking on a private matter.
Photo: Reuters
Invitees to pre-wedding festivities in the central Indian lake city of Udaipur range from international and local celebrities such as Beyonce and Shah Rukh Khan, to politicians such as former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton and business tycoons including Henry Kravis, people familiar with the matter said.
The guest list is so long that the Ambanis and Piramals have taken over at least five five-star hotels nearby, and a war room has been set up in Mumbai to manage logistics, they said.
According to local media reports, more than 100 chartered flights are to fly guests to and from Udaipur’s Maharana Pratap Airport.
Photo: AP
As gratitude to the city of Udaipur, the Ambanis donated enough food to feed 5,100 people three meals a day for four days, and set up a bazaar to showcase 108 traditional Indian paintings, pottery and other art from local artisans, a statement from a family representative said.
The main ceremony is to be held at the patriarch’s home, the 27-story Antilia palace in Mumbai, and post-wedding events are to be held in the city.
For the chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd, who overtook Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (阿里巴巴) cofounder Jack Ma (馬雲) this year as Asia’s wealthiest man, Isha is to be the first of his children to wed.
After the festivities, the newlyweds are poised to move into their US$64 million diamond-themed mansion at the Gulita Building in Mumbai, one of the people said.
A spokesperson for Piramal Enterprises Ltd declined to comment.
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