Mukesh Ambani's son Anant's wedding: A grand affair with global celebrities in attendance

The jet-lined tarmac teeming with international and Indian celebrities was but an indication of the celebrations to come. Jam-packed with action, last night kicked off the euphoria surrounding what is expected to be the biggest Indian wedding of the year.

The three-day pre-wedding celebrations of Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani and wife Nita’s youngest son, Anant, to Radhika Merchant saw a veritable roll-call of high-wattage personalities touch down at Jamnagar.

The nearly 1,200-person guest list included Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Larry Fink, Ivanka Trump, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Anand Mahindra; sportstars Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo; and Bollywood celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.

While the couple is tying the knot in July, the prewedding is a curtain-raising extravaganza. After a welcome brunch on Friday and speeches, guests were treated to an evening featuring the Cirque de Soleil, drone shows and a high-energy performance by Rihanna that had the pop star belting out her chart-topping hits.

Talking about his wife Nita, who has conceptualised each event, Mukesh Ambani said, “Even I don’t know… after four decades of being her life partner… where she gets this limitless energy from.”

The lavish evening ended with a sumptuous dinner spread fit for a king, with over 500 dishes to cater to every palate.