Pichai, Zuckerberg, Iger feature in Anant Ambani’s pre-wedding bash guest list

A galaxy of heads of state, business heads, entertainment and sports stars are making a beeline to Jamnagar in Gujarat to attend pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani, the younger son of Reliance Industries Ltd chairman Mukesh Ambani, and his fiancee Radhika Merchant, starting Friday evening.

The festivities come three months ahead of the actual wedding, scheduled for 12 July.

Alphabet chief executive officer (CEO) Sundar Pichai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, BlackRock chairman and CEO Larry Fink, Saudi Aramco chairperson Yasir Al Rumayyan, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. CEO Sultan Al Jaber, and cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar are expected at the festivities.

Also in attendance will be Bob Iger, the CEO of Walt Disney Co., which this week entered into an $8.5 billion merger deal with Reliance for its Indian media assets.

The guest list of about 2,000 includes King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and wife Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, who have already arrived, and popstar Rihanna, who is expected to perform during the events.

Indian billionaires Gautam Adani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Team India cricketers, and film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan are also expected to attend the three-day extravaganza.

Others on the list include Bill and Melinda Gates, and former US president Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump. American magician David Blaine is expected to be among the performers.

The Ambanis have made elaborate plans for “An Evening in Everland” on Friday, 1 March, with the guests attending the event in cocktail attires.

The guests are expected to visit Ambani’s animal rescue and rehabilitation center on Saturday, for which the hosts have requested a ‘Jungle Fever dress code.

Following this visit, a ‘Mela Rouge’ event is planned, featuring local activities. Guests have reportedly been asked to wear South Asian attire.

On Sunday, 3 March, the final day of festivities, the guests will attend Tusker Trails and Hashtaksher (signing ceremony). Both events will be organized around Jamnagar, which hosts the Ambanis’ oil refinery.

The youngest of the three scions of Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Anant is a director at Reliance’s new energy business, while Merchant is a director at Encore Healthcare.

Earlier, in 2018, the wedding of Ambani’s daughter, Isha, was likened to a mini-Davos summit, in which former US secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and John Kerry had danced with Bollywood celebrities.

The Ambanis and the Merchants had hosted a banquet for people residing in the villages surrounding the Reliance complex on Wednesday.