The pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Indian business tycoons Mukesh and Nita Ambani, and Radhika Merchant, daughter of Viren and Shaila Merchant, continued with grandeur in the picturesque locales of Italy and France.
Following their traditional ceremonies in India, the couple's second round of festivities blended the charm of European elegance with their rich cultural heritage. Their second pre-wedding ceremonies were held from May 29 to June 1 and saw the presence of several Bollywood celebrities and other famous personalities from across the world.
The Ambani family hosted the four-day gala aboard a luxury European cruise. The VIP Bollywood guests on the cruise included Shah Rukh Khan and family, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Ananya Panday, Jhanvi Kapoor, and Sara Ali Khan.
The ship made pitstops in Rome and Cannes where the guests were treated to glamorous parties.
A video of the popular American boy band Backstreet Boys, featuring Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell, performing at the second pre-wedding event has gone viral online. American singer Katy Perry also gave a live performance on the ship.
The celebrations also included an extravagant party in Portofino, Italy.
The celebration in Italy was marked by a special musical performance by renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Videos of him singing Elvis Presley’s iconic song “Falling in Love with You” on stage, have emerged on social media.
Inside views of the pre-wedding festivities in Portofino revealed elegant decor with light-toned chairs decorated with red flowers. Guests enjoyed delicious cupcakes, as seen in one of the photos.
As Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant prepare for their grand wedding, their pre-wedding celebrations in Italy and France have set a high bar for the main event. The couple is set to tie the knot on July 12 in Mumbai.
The main ceremonies will commence on Friday, July 12, with the Shubh Vivah or wedding function. The dress code for guests is traditional Indian attire. This will be followed by a day for Shubh Aashirwad or divine blessings, on Saturday, July 13.
A grand wedding reception is scheduled to be held on Sunday, July 14.
Joi Barua channels personal grief into a cosmic composition
The song is part of the expansive Cosmic Rhapsody project
Collaboration spans continents, blending science, emotion and sound
A song shaped by loss and imagination
When Joi Barua received the lyrics for Star Among the Cosmic Clouds, he was mourning the loss of his father. Alone in his childhood home in Jorhat, Assam, he found himself interpreting the story of Lavi, a purple alpaca who sacrifices herself to ignite a magical orb, through the lens of memory and emotion.
“My father was also like a guiding light,” Barua shared. “Though the story was conceived so well, it was written from a dual emotion—loss and return.”
The song became a way to honour his father’s life and spirit, transforming grief into melody. Dr Susan Lim and Christina Teenz Tan’s lyrics offered Barua a portal through which he could reframe his sorrow. “Susan handed me my escape,” he said. “She gave me a spaceship to fly into the universe I wanted to.”
Cosmic rhapsody and the power of collaboration
Star Among the Cosmic Clouds is the first single from the pop album within Cosmic Rhapsody, a multi-part artistic venture that includes orchestral recordings, animated storytelling and genre-blending music.
The project explores humanity’s journey into space and the philosophical questions of identity and consciousness. It features three versions of the song: Barua’s composer’s cut, a studio recording by Killian Donnelly, and a grand orchestral rendition with Tom Ball and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Barua, who describes himself as an untrained musician, expressed deep gratitude for the experience. “I was in a room full of people sincerely trying to work on my song,” he said. “It was like serendipity of another kind.”
The collaboration began in 2015 at an INK conference in Singapore, where Barua met Dr Lim. What started as a conversation over coffee evolved into a global creative partnership.
Music memory and the meaning of identity
Barua hopes listeners will take away a deeper understanding of loss—not as an end, but as a transformation. “Beyond loss is responsibility,” he said. “To live up to the love you received.”
As an Indian artist working on an international stage, Barua sees his identity as something organic. “Every artist who’s Indian is that identity,” he said. “I bring my consciousness into it, trained by my upbringing and my land.”
Looking ahead, Barua hinted at future symphonic performances of Cosmic Rhapsody around the world. With 17 songs in the album and a growing international team, the project continues to evolve.
When asked to sum up the experience in three words, Barua simply said: “Thank you God.”
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