With every passing day, the youngest son of Indian billionaire couple Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani, Anant Ambani is inching towards his wedding day with Radhika Merchant. Very recently, the couple kick-started their pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar by feeding food to scores of people in the small city of Gujarat. Before the couple gets married in the presence of many Bollywood and international stars, let’s get to know Radhika a little more.
Everything you need to know about Anant Ambani’s wife-to-be Radhika Merchant
Radhika Merchant was born to Viren Merchant and Shaila Merchant, the CEO of a renowned pharmaceutical firm named Encore Healthcare on December 18, 1994. She also has a younger sister named Anjali Merchant. Hailing from Kutch, Gujarat, she completed her schooling at Mumbai’s Cathedral and John Connon School and Ecole Mondiale World School and obtained an International Baccalaureate diploma from BD Somani International School.
Radhika then flew to NYC to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science at New York University. According to her LinkedIn profile, after graduating in 2017, she joined the Isprava team as a junior sales manager. She is one of the directors at Encore Healthcare. Moreover, she is also a Bharatnatyam dancer, just like her mother-in-law Nita Ambani. She trained under Guru Bhavana Thakar of Shree Nibha Art, a Mumbai-based dance academy, for over eight years.
Back in June 2022, the Ambanis hosted a lavish and star-studded Arangetram (her first stage performance) ceremony for Radhika at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai which was attended by many Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, acclaimed Indian cricketers and politicians. She is a keen advocator of animal welfare, education, health, and human rights and performs several social welfare activities.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s engagement
Radhika was first publicly spotted with the Ambani family at Anant’s sister Isha Ambani’s engagement where she danced along with Isha and Shloka Ambani. Soon after, pictures of the couple went viral with people speculating about their wedding. She also attended the wedding of Isha and Anand Piramal Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta.
Radhika and Anant Ambani got engaged at the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan in December 2022. An engagement ceremony was later held in January 2023 at the Ambani residence in Mumbai, Antilia.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding event at Jamnagar
According to reports, the couple is all set to tie the knot on July 12, 2024, in Mumbai. But before their big day, the family flew to Gujarat’s Jamnagar where a three-day star-studded gala is being hosted from March 1 to 3. Yesterday, February 28, the couple kick-started their pre-wedding festivities by doing Anna Seva and feeding Gujarati food to 51 thousand people at Jogwad village near Reliance Township in Jamnagar. They were joined by Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani along with Radhika’s maternal grandmother and parents.
The noble activity will continue for the next three days followed by multiple events attended by close to 1,000 guests. The family will be hosting many acclaimed national and international dignitaries for three days at the Reliance Greens Complex in Jamnagar, who will be part of their pre-wedding festivities. On being quizzed about why he chose Jamnagar for the pre-wedding events, Anant said that he was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Wed in India’ initiative.
During his conversation with India Today, the soon-to-be husband Anant also stated that they chose Jamnagar as the destination for the event as it’s the place where his grandmother was born. Additionally, it’s also the town where his grandfather Dhirubhai Ambani, and father Mukesh Ambani started their business.
Bollywood celebs attending Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding event at Jamnagar
To be part of the grand celebration, several Bollywood celebs including Manushi Chhillar, Abhishek Bachchan, Janhvi Kapoor, and celebrity designer Manish Malhotra have flown to the location. They were followed by the bhaijaan of B-town, Salman Khan. Several reports also suggested that many other biggies such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal, Karan Johar, Saif Ali Khan, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Aditya Chopra and Karisma Kapoor are expected to grace the event with their presence.
To make the event even more special, acclaimed Indian singers like Arijit Singh, Diljit Dosanjh, Hariharan, and Pritam are expected to perform for the Ambanis and their guests. Not just this, international sensation Rihanna will also be lighting up the stage with her performance. A while ago, her team was already spotted arriving at Jamnagar.
The Ambanis are also making sure that their esteemed guests are served great food at the event. For this, they have narrowed down to 2500 dishes that will be served to their guests from morning to mid-night. While the food menu will have a spread of Indori, Parsi, Thai, Mexican, Japanese, and pan-Asian dishes, a separate menu is also prepared for those who enjoy vegan food. Reports also suggest that a team of over 25 chefs is expected to fly from Indore to Jamnagar for the occasion.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Salman Khan lands in Jamnagar for Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding festivities
