What a $600 million wedding reveals about India’s attitude to wealth

LBEYONCÉ HANDLE In 2018, Isha Ambani’s wedding ceremony sent India into a frenzy. Just getting an invitation gave status-obsessed business leaders and politicians bragging rights. The cost of the nuptials, with countless side events, reportedly topped $100 million. A staggering sum for most people, but not for the Ambani family, which owns a majority stake in Reliance Industries, the country’s most valuable company, which dominates everything from telecommunications to oil refining. Despite some gripes about the rich, many Indians seem to have taken the event, which even the maharajas of old envied, as proof that India—and Indian business—could shine again.

One might have expected the months-long wedding celebrations of Isha’s brother Anant, which ended on July 14, to have generated a similarly positive response. It featured even more international stars (Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Rihanna), more bling (gold-embroidered outfits and enough rubies, diamonds and emeralds the size of golf balls) and a higher price tag (a figure of $600 million has been floated). It has contributed significantly to the rise of the wedding industry in India, which generates perhaps $130 billion in revenue annually (only food accounts for a larger share of Indian retail spending). Behind the countless, gorgeous saris at Ambani’s wedding were thousands of designers, tailors and seamstresses; Behind the elaborate dances and sets were thousands of choreographers, musicians and carpenters. The wedding filled hotels, private jets, a fleet of golf carts and at least one cruise ship.

But instead of fear and pride, the reaction this time was much more mixed. MastodonAn online publication summed it up this way: “It showed us the power of Asia’s richest family. But it also made us feel uncomfortable.”