The pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant will commence tomorrow in Jamnagar. The Ambani family is hosting a veritable galaxy of stars at its Jamnagar home for three days of celebrations. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Sundar Pichai, Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are just some of the high-profile names expected to attend the festivities that will lead up to the couple’s wedding in July.
Anant Ambani is the younger son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and wife Nita Ambani. He is marrying Radhika Merchant, daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant and Shaila Merchant.
The two have reportedly known each other “for a few years,” as their families said in a statement at the time of their roka in 2022. Pictures of the couple first surfaced online in 2018, leading to speculation that they would soon tie the knot.
Between December 2018 and March 2019, Radhika Merchant was photographed attending the weddings of the elder Ambani siblings – twins Akash and Isha Ambani. She was seen participating in family rituals and posing for pictures with the Ambani family.
In June 2022, Mukesh and Nita Ambani hosted an ‘Arangetram’ ceremony for their daughter-in-law-to-be, who is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. Held at Jio World Centre in Mumbai, the stage performance was attended by Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, who are both also expected to attend the upcoming pre-wedding festivities this weekend.
In December 2022, Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani’s roka was performed at Shrinathji Temple in Rajasthan's Nathdwara. The roka took place on December 29, 2022 in the presence of close friends and family only. The couple spent the day at the temple and participated in the traditional Raj-bhog-shringaar ceremonies.
“Anant and Radhika have known each other for a few years and today’s ceremony commences the formal journey of their marriage in the coming months. Both families seek the blessings and good wishes of everyone for Radhika and Anant as they start their journey of togetherness,” their families said in a statement.
The roka was followed by a formal engagement in January 2023. On January 19, the Ambanis hosted guests at their Mumbai residence – Antilia – to celebrate the engagement of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. The party was attended by Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and others.
“Gol dhana” is the traditional Gujarati engagement ceremony in which coriander seeds and jaggery are distributed to guests.
Two days before the engagement, Merchant was also photographed at her mehendi ceremony in a custom-made lehenga from Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.
Since their roka, the couple has also been spotted visiting various temples across the country. In September 2022, Mukesh Ambani and Radhika Merchant visited Kerala's Guruvayur temple. A month later, Anant Ambani attended the afternoon aarti at Shirdi Sai Temple.
The couple also attended the grand opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in April 2023.
This year, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, along with other members of the family, attended the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Their pre-wedding festivities kicked off with a ‘Lagan Lakhvanu’ ceremony, which marks the writing of the first official wedding invite. The ceremony took place in Jamnagar. For the function, Merchant opted for a pastel-blue lehenga by celebrated designer Anamika Khanna.
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