Son of Asia's richest man marries long-term girlfriend in year’s most lavish wedding

The youngest son of Asia’s richest man has married his longtime girlfriend in what many have dubbed the wedding of the year, attended by global celebrities, business tycoons and politicians, highlighting staggering wealth and rising clout of billionaire Mukesh Ambani.

The wedding rituals, including exchanging garlands by the couple and walking around the sacred fire, began on Friday and were completed past midnight.

The celebrations of Anant Ambani marrying Radhika Merchant took place at the Ambani-owned Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai and the family home.

The marriage culminated months of wedding events that featured performances by pop stars including Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

The four-day wedding celebrations began with the traditional Hindu wedding ceremony and will be followed by a grand reception to run through the weekend.

The guest list includes former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson; Saudi Aramco CEO Amin H Nasser; and Adele, Lana Del Rey, Drake and David Beckham, according to local media.

Television news channels showed celebrities such as Kim Kardashian in a red ensemble and professional wrestler and Hollywood actor John Cena arriving.

International guests also wore traditional dresses by major Indian fashion designers.

They put on embroidered sherwanis - long-sleeved outer coats worn by men in South Asia.

Cena went in a sky-blue sherwani and white pants, while Nick Jonas wore a pink sherwani and white pants.

Police imposed traffic diversions around the wedding venue from Friday to Monday to handle the influx of guests who flew to Mumbai, where heavy monsoon rains have caused flooding and flight disruptions for the past week.

The extravaganza and the display of opulence that comes with the wedding has led many to raise questions about the widening gap between rich and poor in India.

The father of the groom, Mukesh Ambani, is the world’s ninth-richest man, with a net worth of $US116 billion ($A171 billion), according to Forbes.

He is the richest person in Asia. His Reliance Industries is a conglomerate reporting more than $US100 billion in annual revenue, with interests that include petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecoms and retail.

The groom, 29-year-old Anant, oversees the conglomerate’s renewable and green energy expansion.

He also runs a 1200-hectare animal rescue centre in Gujarat state’s Jamnagar, the family’s hometown.

The bride, Radhika Merchant, also 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and is the marketing director for his company, Encore Healthcare, according to Vogue.

Ambani’s critics say his company has relied on political connections during Congress Party-led governments in the 1970s and ‘80s, and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule after 2014.

The Ambani family’s pre-wedding celebrations have been lavish and star-studded from the start.

In March, they threw a three-day bash for Anant that had 1200 guests, including former world leaders, tech tycoons and Bollywood megastars, and performances by Rihanna, Akon and Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh.

In May, the family took guests on a three-day cruise from Italy to France, which included Katy Perry singing her hit song Firework and a performance by Pitbull, according to media reports.

The family also organised a mass wedding for more than 50 underprivileged couples on July 2 as part of the celebrations.

Last week, Justin Bieber performed at a pre-wedding concert that included performances by Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Salman Khan.