Rajkumar Hirani and Zaheer Khan with wife Sagarika Ghatge were among those in attendance.
By ET Online | Updated:
Agencies
Ambanis hosted a star-studded ceremony for Radhika Merchant.
It was a star-studded Sunday for the Bollywood celebrities in Mumbai with the who's who headed to the Jio Centre.
The Ambanis hosted a grand arangetram for their future daughter-in-law Radhika Merchant at the Grand Theater in Jio World Centre, situated in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai.
Arangetram, a Tamil word which means 'ascent to the stage’, marks a dancer's graduation to a professional performer on stage. The ceremony is a student's first-ever performance on stage, followed by years of training.
The 24-year-old Radhika, daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant, has trained in classical dance from Shree Nibha Arts under the guidance of Guru Bhavana Thakar for nearly eight years.
The dancer’s electrifying performance consisted of all the traditional elements of the 'arangetram' performance – starting with the Pushpanjali to invoke the deities on the stage, god, guru and the audience to seek their blessings and immediately followed by Ganesh Vandana and the traditional Allaripu - prayers for the success of the performance. The invocations were set to traditional ragas and rhythm of aadi tala.
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This was followed by the popular bhajan ‘Achyutam Keshavam’ set to raga Ragamalika and telling three stories – of Shabri’s longing of Lord Rama, the dance of Lord Krishna with the gopis and a story of mother Yashoda and baby Krishna.
A powerful rendition of the Shiva Panchakshara followed the bhajan and portrayed the eternal dance of Lord Nataraj.
Radhika then performed the complicated ‘AstaRasa’ – or the eight basic emotions inherent to human being as described in the natya shastras. These include the Shringaar (love), Hasya (laughter), Karuna (sorrow), Bhaya (fear), Veera (heroism), Raudra (anger), Bibhitsa (disgust) and Adbhuta (wonder). The audience was impressed by Radhika’s ability to emote with her expressions as well as through the various dance mudras.
The culmination was with the Tillana – a dance with intricate footwork, complex hand movement and statuesque postures. It was no surprise she received a long and thunderous applause at the end of the show. A moment of satisfaction for her and her Guru and the world of art receives another artist to carry forward the tradition.
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Dressed in a silk saree with gold zari embroidery designs that's traditionally worn during a Bharatanatyam performance, Merchant looked radiant. She donned the mattal (forehead jewellery) and had the chandra (moon-shaped ornament) and surya (sun-shaped ornament) decking her hair. She wore alta (red dye) on her hands and feet, and sported ghungroos too.
Here's a glimpse of her Bharatnatyam performance on Sunday.
Reliance Industries Limited Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani's youngest son Anant Ambani got engaged to Merchant in 2019. Ever since she has been a part of the Ambani family and has been seen at multiple functions with them.
Incidentally, Merchant will be the second Bharatanatyam proponent in the Ambani family after Reliance Foundation founder and chairperson, Nita Ambani. It is common knowledge that Nita Ambani was chosen as the daughter -in-law of the family after Dhirubhai Ambani saw her at a cultural dance program and decided that she is the right person for his son.
For the arangetram ceremony, Mrs Ambani was accompanied by her husband. While Mrs Ambani opted for an orange silk saree with a wide floral border and pearl-diamond necklace, the business tycoon opted for a velvet maroon Achkan with white churidaar. The Ambanis The couple's eldest son, Akash Ambani, along with his wife Shloka Mehta and son Prithvi were also spotted at the venue. The 30-year-old Ambani wore a navy blue Jodhpuri suit, and Shloka wore a purple-gold silk saree with heavy embroidery. The youngest Ambani looked adorable in a pink kurta. Ambani's younger brother Anil Ambani also marked his attendance in a pink kurta with intricate embroidery and white churidaar.
The Ambani brothers Akash's twin Isha, her husband Anand Piramal, and Anant weren't seen at the venue.
Bollywood celebrities such as Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Ranveer Singh among others attended the grand ceremony.
Rajkumar Hirani, Meezan Jaffery, Sagarika Ghatge and Zaheer Khan were also clicked at the venue.
27 Storeys, Car Service Station: Mukesh Ambani’s ‘Antilia’ Is Every Rich Man’s Dream Come True
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Situated in South Mumbai's most expensive area, Altamount Road, 'Antilia' is a private residence of billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family.
Situated in South Mumbai's most expensive area, Altamount Road, 'Antilia' is a private residence of billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family have made 'Antilia' their home for the past few years. It is located in Mumbai’s affluent neighbourhood of Altamount Road, also known as India's Billionaires' Row as it houses some of the most expensive residences in the world including some eye-popping, luxe residential skyscrapers. The sky-high Ambani mansion was named after a mythical island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family have made 'Antilia' their home for the past few years. It is located in Mumbai’s affluent neighbourhood of Altamount Road, also known as India's Billionaires'..
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The skyscraper-mansion, which is the world's most expensive private home, is over 400,000-square-feet and is 173 metres (568 ft) tall. It has 27 storeys with an extra-high ceiling equivalent to a building with around 60 floors. Despite its enormous size, the home has been designed to survive an earthquake of magnitude 8 on the Richter scale.
The skyscraper-mansion, which is the world's most expensive private home, is over 400,000-square-feet and is 173 metres (568 ft) tall. It has 27 storeys with an extra-high ceiling equivalent to a bui..
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The land on which ‘Antilia’ was built originally housed an orphanage founded in 1895 by a wealthy shipowner Currimbhoy Ebrahim. The orphanage, Currimbhoy Ebrahim Khoja Yateemkhana, belonged to a charity run by the Wakf board which requested permission to sell the land in 2002. The same year, the trust sold the land for the purpose of educating underprivileged Khoja children to Antilia Commercial Private Limited, a commercial entity controlled by Mukesh Ambani. The land was picked up for Rs 21.05 crore, while the prevailing market value of the land at the time was around Rs 150 crore, reportedly. The 'Antilia' cost between USD 1 and 2 billion.
The land on which ‘Antilia’ was built originally housed an orphanage founded in 1895 by a wealthy shipowner Currimbhoy Ebrahim. The orphanage, Currimbhoy Ebrahim Khoja Yateemkhana, belonged to a char..
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The headline-grabbing building was executed by two US architecture firms -- Perkins & Will designed it while Leighton Holdings constructed it - who were consulted after Nita Ambani liked the contemporary Asian interiors at New York’s Mandarin Oriental which was designed by them. The on-site work started in 2006 after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation approved the plan in 2003. Initiated by Leighton Asia, the property was completed by B.E. Bilimoria & Company Ltd.. The interior design uses the shapes of the lotus and the sun.
The headline-grabbing building was executed by two US architecture firms -- Perkins & Will designed it while Leighton Holdings constructed it - who were consulted after Nita Ambani liked the contempo..
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Mukesh Ambani and his family made 'Antilia' home in 2012. Though the housewarming ritual was done in November 2010, news reports speculated that the India Inc tycoon delayed it to ward off "bad luck". In June 2011, around 50 well-known pandits were invited to 'Antilia' to conduct a few pujas and look into the vastu issues reportedly.
Mukesh Ambani and his family made 'Antilia' home in 2012. Though the housewarming ritual was done in November 2010, news reports speculated that the India Inc tycoon delayed it to ward off "bad luck"..
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The top six floors of the South Mumbai high-end mansion, which is the world's second-most expensive property after Buckingham Palace, have been set aside as the private full-floor residential area for the family members. The Ambani residence has 9 high-speed elevators designated for different floors, staff and guests.
The top six floors of the South Mumbai high-end mansion, which is the world's second-most expensive property after Buckingham Palace, have been set aside as the private full-floor residential area fo..
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'Antilia' has everything a person needs for luxury, entertainment and relaxation. It also has a 50-seat theatre, terrace gardens, a snow room that has snowflakes emerging from the walls, a temple, dance studio, three helipads, swimming pools, spas, a health centre. What more could one ask for, we ask!
'Antilia' has everything a person needs for luxury, entertainment and relaxation. It also has a 50-seat theatre, terrace gardens, a snow room that has snowflakes emerging from the walls, a temple, da..
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Not just a sprawling residential area with a high entertainment quotient, 'Antilia' also is home to around 600 staff that work for Ambani at their home. Apart from this, the massive tower also has six floors dedicated only to cars that the family owns, including Ambani's Rs 5 crore Maybach. According to reports, the garage has enough space to accommodate 168 cars. The Ambanis also have their own car service station inside 'Antilia'.
Not just a sprawling residential area with a high entertainment quotient, 'Antilia' also is home to around 600 staff that work for Ambani at their home. Apart from this, the massive tower also has si..
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No wonder ‘Antilia’ is a glamorous thing to look at and also an architectural wonder. However, it has also received sharp criticism from people, including another billionaire and business tycoon Ratan Tata, who wondered why Ambani wants to live in “the opulence of a billion-dollar home”. During his 2011 interview with The Times newspaper of London, Tata said that the person who lives in that tower should be concerned about what he sees around him and (ask) can he make a difference. Expressing his concern over the rich-poor gap, Tata had said that India needs people to allocate some of their enormous wealth to finding ways to mitigate the hardship that people have.
No wonder ‘Antilia’ is a glamorous thing to look at and also an architectural wonder. However, it has also received sharp criticism from people, including another billionaire and business tycoon Rata..
