Nita Ambani defends ‘lavishness’ of Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant’s star-studded wedding, says ‘Made in India brand’ took centre-stage

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s grand pre-wedding and wedding festivities made international news in 2024. The Ambani family hosted many international dignitaries in Jamnagar for a three-day celebration in March, followed by a cruise around Europe in June, and a three-day wedding celebration in Mumbai in July. Recently, Anant’s mother, Nita Ambani, was asked about the “ostentatious” nature of the wedding, and how she handled the criticism surrounding it.

Nita was in conversation with Bloomberg Television, where she said that every parent wants to do the best for their child. “You know every parent wants to do their best for their children’s wedding. And that’s what we did in all this. I think it was a made in India brand that came out,” she said, and added, “I am happy that I was able to kind of bring to the centre-stage our Indian traditions, Indian heritage, and Indian culture.”

Nita also shared that she felt immense pride at seeing Anant with Radhika. “My son Anant has been fighting obesity from a very young age because of his asthma and he went up on a stage as a confident bridegroom, he told me ‘Mom, it’s not what I am physically. It’s what my heart is’. And I saw him holding his life partner’s hand, I think that’s what was the most touching feeling,” she said.

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The pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar had Rihanna performing a live show after a long break. Akon, Justin Bieber, and Diljit Dosanjh also performed live during the event. Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan also made a rare joint appearance together. The wedding festivities in July saw Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian in attendance, alongside several illustrious individuals from the world of sports and business.