Mumbai residents were outraged by the lavish wedding of billionaire Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, with authorities closing numerous streets in the Indian city to make way for their lavish entourage.
Anant, 29, the son of India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika, 29, are set to tie the knot this afternoon in what some are calling the biggest wedding in India this year.
The festivities last all weekend and a host of celebrities have descended on the country to celebrate, including John Cena, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra.
However, local residents are not happy with the commotion caused by the extravagant, multi-day event, especially after police announced that several roads would be closed to the public because of the wedding.
“Due to a public event at Jio World Convention Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex on July 5 and from July 12 to 15, 2024, the following traffic measures will be in place for smooth traffic flow,” a tweet from the Mumbai Traffic Police said last week, along with a list of roads that would be affected.
Mumbai residents were outraged by the lavish wedding of billionaire Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, with authorities closing numerous streets in the Indian city for the event.
Anant, 29, the son of India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani (seen together today before the wedding), and Radhika, 29, will tie the knot this afternoon
The festivities will last all weekend – and a host of celebrities have flown into the country to celebrate, including Kim and Khloe Kardashian (seen)
Sonam Srivastava, who works in an office right next to the venue where the wedding will take place, said Business insider that it has caused ‘significant disruption’ to his work.
“This situation has forced us to postpone important client meetings and events scheduled for these dates,” he said, scathingly.
“It is concerning that traffic in such an important business district is gridlocked, causing significant disruption to businesses, and that for a private event.”
The Mumbai police’s post was quickly flooded with angry responses, with people particularly enraged by the police’s description of the wedding as a “public event.”
“Is Anant Ambani’s wedding a public event? Why is the normal public sphere being disrupted for someone’s wedding?” asked one angry user.
‘Since when [did the] government starts [getting] “Are you involved in private events?” agreed another.
‘When did an industrialist’s personal event become a public event? Is every citizen of Mumbai invited to this or just a select few?’ wrote someone else.
‘Rather than disrupting the general public, the organisers should have been asked to move the event to a later time in the day, perhaps towards the evening.’
But residents of the area were not happy with the commotion the event caused, especially after police announced that several roads would be closed to the public.
The Mumbai Police’s post was quickly flooded with angry responses – and people were particularly outraged because they described the wedding as a ‘public event’
“A billionaire’s wedding ceremony is a priority. Public commuting is not,” a fourth tweet read.
A fifth said: ‘It’s a private event, not a public event. Making the public suffer for a private event, wow.’
“You shameless bastards. It’s a billionaire’s wedding, stop harassing the common man.”
Anant’s father Mukesh, 67, is a director of Indian oil and telecom company Reliance Industries and has a fortune of more than $114 billion.
Radhika also comes from a wealthy family: her father is the CEO of Encore Healthcare.
This ostentatious three-day wedding is estimated to have cost a whopping $1.2 million. Anant and Radhika will be seen in 2023
Earlier this month, the couple hosted several lavish events leading up to the wedding, including a Sangeet where Justin Bieber performed
In June, they also took 1,200 guests on a four-day cruise across the Mediterranean, hosting parties across Europe with private performances from stars including Katy Perry and the Backstreet Boys.
This ostentatious three-day wedding is estimated to have cost a whopping $1.2 million. The guest list includes Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump, Bill Gates, David and Victoria Beckham, and other wedding industry luminaries. Bollywood stars, pop stars, and prominent politicians are also in attendance.
In the months leading up to the wedding, the couple hosted several lavish pre-wedding events.
Earlier this month, they held a party called ‘Sangeet’, where Justin Bieber performed and reportedly earned $9 million.
In June, they took 1,200 guests on a four-day cruise across the Mediterranean, hosting parties across Europe with private performances from stars including Katy Perry, Pitbull and the Backstreet Boys.