Asia's richest man's son to celebrate lavish wedding with celebs, business moguls

Global celebrities, business moguls and politicians began arriving in Mumbai on Friday for the wedding of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Asia's richest man, highlighting the Indian billionaire's vast wealth and growing influence.

Anant Ambani, 29, will marry his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant in what many have called the wedding of the year. The celebrations will be held at Ambani's Mumbai-based Jio World Convention Centre, the family home, capping a months-long dhamma celebration that has included performances by pop stars including Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

India's richest man's son to marry

The four-day wedding celebrations will begin with a traditional Hindu wedding on Friday, followed by a grand reception over the weekend. According to local media, the guest list includes former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, the Kardashian family, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Drake and David Beckham. The Ambani family has not confirmed the guest list reported by the media.

Police imposed traffic diversions from Friday to Monday around the wedding site to deal with the influx of guests flying to Mumbai, where heavy monsoon rains caused flooding and disrupted flights last week.

World's ninth-richest man

Mukesh Ambani, 66, the groom's father, is Asia's richest man and the world's ninth-richest man with a net worth estimated at $116 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Ambani's Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate with average annual revenues of more than $100 billion, and its businesses range from petrochemicals, oil and gas to telecommunications and retail.

The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-story residential building in Mumbai called Antilla, worth $1 billion.

The building has three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private cinema, a swimming pool and a fitness center.

Ambani’s son, Anant, oversees the group’s expansion into renewable and green energy. He also runs a 3,000-acre animal rescue center in Jamnagar, Gujarat, the family’s home state. The bride, Radhika Merchant, 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical magnate Viren Merchant and the marketing director of his company, Encore Healthcare, according to Vogue.