Bollywood stars grace Indian billionaire Ambani’s son formal engagement ceremony in Mumbai

Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambanis son Anant Advani got formally engaged with Radhika Merchant with the traditional 'Gol Dhana, 'Chunari Vidhi and exchange of rings, an official said on Thursday.

The ceremony, in the presence of families from both sides, friends, Bollywood stars and others, took place at the Antilia residence of the Ambanis.

Bollywood's most adorable mother-daughter duo, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aaradhya Bachchan graced Anant and Radhika's engagement ceremony. Filmmaker, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and his wife, Anupama Chopra too join the Ambani family in their happiness.

Aishwarya Rai and her daughter Aaradhya pose for a photo during the ceremony. Reuters

Aamir Khan's ex-wife and filmmaker, Kiran Rao, Akshay Kumar, Sara Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif also attended the ceremony. Other celebrities who graced the bash include Gauri Khan, Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Neetu Kapoor, Arman Jain, John Abraham, Aditya Thackeray, Karan Johar, Varun Dhawan, Natasha Dalal, Manish Malhotra and others.

Sara Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif pose during a photo opportunity as they arrive to attend the engagement ceremony of Anant Ambani. Reuters

Cricket star Sachin Tendulkar also graced Anant and Radhika Merchant's engagement bash with his wife, Anjali.

The age-old traditions of the Gujarati Hindus were followed with great enthusiasm at the family temple and ceremony areas, followed by exchange of greetings, gifts, bonhomie and fun.

Later, the guests were treated to a surprise performance by the Ambani family, led by Nita Ambani, who was loudly cheered by the gathering, adding to the enthusiasm and familial bonding.

Anant Ambani poses with his fiancee Radhika Merchant as his mother Neeta looks on during the ceremony. AP

'Gol Dhana' — literally meaning jaggery and coriander seeds — is a pre-wedding ceremony in Gujarati tradition, akin to an engagement. These items are distributed at the groom's place where the event takes place.

The bride's family comes to the groom's residence with gifts and sweets and then the couple exchanges rings. After exchanging rings, the couple seeks blessings from their elders.

The evening's festivities started with members of the Ambani family, led by Anant's sister Isha, going to the Merchant residence to invite them and Radhika for the functions.

The Merchant family was received warmly by the Ambani family at their residence amid 'Aarti' and chanting of mantras.

Gauri Khan and her son Aryan Khan pose for a photo during the ceremony. Reuters

The families followed Anant and Radhika to the temple to seek Lord Krishna's blessings for the union and the engagement ceremonies.

From there, the group moved to the ceremony venue to start the functions with a Ganesh puja, followed by the reading of traditional 'Lagan Patrika' or the invitation to the upcoming wedding.

Then, Isha announced the commencement of the ring ceremony and the young couple — Anant and Radhika — exchanged rings and sought the blessings of their families and friends for their upcoming union.

Anant and Radhika have known each other for a few years now. Anant has completed his studies from Brown University in the US and has since served at Reliance industries in various capacities, including as a member on the boards of Jio Platforms and Reliance Retail Ventures. He currently leads the energy business of RIL.

Radhika, daughter of Shaila and Viren Merchant, is a graduate from New York University and serves as a Director on the board of Encore Healthcare.