India’s Wealthiest Family Hired Justin Bieber for $10 Million to Perform at Billionaire Heir’s Pre-Wedding Party
Justin Bieber was paid $10 million to sing “Love Yourself” at a private event last Friday. The event was a pre-wedding ceremony, known as a sangeet, for billionaire Anant Ambani and his fiancée Radhika Merchant in Mumbai, India.
Anant Ambani is the youngest son of the wealthy Ambani family, and his upcoming wedding from July 12 to 14 is being touted as the biggest wedding of the year in India.
The groom’s family is pulling out all the stops, considering the immense wealth of their patriarch. Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, is currently worth $124 billion according to Forbes. His conglomerate, founded in 1958 by his father Dhirubhai Ambani, remains a family-run business and has made Mukesh Ambani the richest person in India and the 11th richest globally. He is now also Asia’s wealthiest individual.
Radhika Merchant, the bride-to-be, comes from a prominent background as well. She is the daughter of Viren Merchant, who leads the pharmaceutical giant Encore Healthcare, as reported by Vogue.
Despite the lavish celebrations, there has been criticism, particularly concerning the significant economic disparity in India. A 2021 report by Oxfam revealed that the richest 1% in India possess over 40% of the country’s wealth. Additionally, the Ambani family’s close ties to politics have drawn scrutiny. Some commentators argue that Mukesh Ambani’s wealth has grown substantially due to family connections dating back to the 1970s and ’80s, and his influence has expanded under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership since 2014.
The Ambani family has often been likened to the Rockefellers in terms of influence and wealth. Some journalists, such as Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Subir Ghosh, and Jyotirmoy Chaudhuri, have even written about allegations of corruption and the family’s rise in their book “Gas Wars: Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis.”
The wedding festivities have attracted attention globally, with notable figures from America’s wealthiest elite also receiving invitations. In a previous Ambani family wedding event, billionaires like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai attended to witness Rihanna’s performance. Daily Mail reported Rihanna was paid £5 million (approximately $6.3 million) for her appearance, less than Justin Bieber’s fee. The three-day celebration had 1,200 guests on the list, according to the Associated Press.
The upcoming wedding will span multiple venues including the Ambani family’s 27-story mansion and the Jio World Convention Centre, which is owned by the family and can accommodate over 16,000 people.
