PM Modi blesses Anant Ambani, Radhika Merchant after star-studded wedding

Mumbai, Jul 13 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday blessed the newly-wed couple Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant after their star-studded wedding that was attended by global celebrities, business tycoons, and politicians.

Modi arrived at the Ambani family-owned Jio World Convention Centre here for a wedding reception that has been titled 'Shubh Aashirwad'.

Anant, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani -- Asia's richest man -- and Radhika, a pharmaceutical heiress, touched Modi's feet to seek his blessings.

Modi was received by Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani and was escorted into the venue where hosts of celebrities, film stars, cricketers, business tycoons, and politicians had assembled.

The marriage on Friday culminated months of pre-wedding events in India and abroad.

The guests invited for the reception on Saturday were almost similar to the ones who attended the wedding a day before.

The attendees included Bollywood icons Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor; cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav.

Former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson; and Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H Nasser were also on the guest list.

Politicians who attended the wedding included Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple and Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray.

Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais also attended the reception.

Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth Swami Sadananda Saraswati and Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath Swami Avimukteshwaranand also attended the event.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan, too, were in attendance.

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Kamal Nath were also among the attendees at the event.

The groom, Anant, 29, oversees the oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd's renewable and green energy expansion while the bride, Radhika Merchant, also 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and is the marketing director for his company, Encore Healthcare. PTI