IMAGE: Thursday, January 19 is the first of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s big days.
Photograph: ANI Photo
It will be official today!
Mukesh and Nita Ambani’s youngest son Anant is getting engaged to Radhika Merchant in a no doubt dazzling ceremony at the Ambani’s Mumbai residence Antilla, south Mumbai.
Anant proposed to Radhika at Nathdwara’s Moti Mahal in the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan, followed by a traditional roka ceremony on December 29, 2022 at the Shrinathji temple there.
A couple of days ago, pics from the couple’s mehendi ceremony went viral.
What do you wear when you marry into the Ambani household? A creation by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, of course!
The duo is the preferred family couturiers — they designed elder bahu Shloka’s lehenga for her jaymala ceremony back in 2019, and also dressed Nita and Isha Ambani for the occasion (please check out the pics here).
Radhika continued the tradition and asked them to design her mehendi creation.
The final result was a beautiful pink resham lehenga ’embroidered with floral booties and mirrors’, which lent itself to the magical location of the event, in view of the sea.
The youthful colour was a vibrant departure from the traditional green.
IMAGE: Doesn’t the youngest Ambani bahu-to-be look utterly charming?
At an Ambani do, there is, naturally, no shortage of bling — she accessorised her mehendi costume with diamonds and a plethora of stones around her neck, in her ears and on her forehead.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla
Arti Nayar, who was the make-up artist for the starry-eyed bride, shared a video (external link) from the elaborate celebrations in which an excited Radhika can’t stop twirling her perky bougainvillea-hue lehenga.
Pics of Anant and Radhika together make a sweet timeline:
IMAGE: Radhika’s dad Viren Merchant is the CEO of Mumbai-headquartered Encore Healthcare.
A graduate from New York University, where she studied economics and politics, Radhika worked for the exclusive home builders Isprava group and now serves as a director on the board of Encore Healthcare.
Anant studied at Brown University in Rhode Island in the US and may eventually handle the Ambani group’s energy arm.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Reliance Industries Limited
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IMAGE: Left to right, Radhika Merchant with Anant, future mother-in-law Nita, brother-in-law-to-be Akash, sister-in-law-to-be Isha and her husband Anand Piramal, and the one and only Mukesh Ambani.
This photograph was taken during Akash and Shloka’s wedding and was probably Radhika’s first appearance as part of the Ambani clan.
Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar
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IMAGE: In June 2022, the Ambanis hosted an arangetram for Radhika at the Jio World Centre, north west Mumbai.
She trained for over eight years under Bhavana Thakar before she was ready for her formal entry into the world of dance.
Dance is something she and ma-in law will have to talk about — Nita Ambani also trained as a dancer.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Reliance Industries Limited
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IMAGE: The Merchants and the Ambanis celebrate post the roka.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Reliance Industries Limited
