In her first performance in India, pop star Rihannaset the stage on fire on day one of the lavish pre-wedding event of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's son Anant and his fiancee Radhika Merchant.
The international music sensation, who belted out hit songs such as "Diamonds", "Where Have You Been", "Rude Boy" and "Pour it Up", had Indian film celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan-Gauri Khan, Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone, Shreya Ghoshal and Shiamak Davar grooving to her tunes.
Dressed in a shimmery body-hugging fluorescent green and pink outfit, Rihanna put up her best moves and also interacted with the audience at the grand event, which is being held over three days at a residential township situated close to Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)'s petroleum refinery near Jamnagar city.
The 38-year-old singer-songwriter thanked the Ambanis for making her a part of the family affair.
"Thanks to the Ambani family I'm here tonight in honour of Anant and Radhika. Thank you for having me here. God bless your union. I wish you the best. Congratulations," she said.
As the prelude of her song "We Found Love" played, Rihanna asked the audience members if they believed in love.
"Make some noise for love right now. Send some extra love to the bride. It's my honour to be here and I want you to put your hands together like this," the multiple Grammy winner said before singing the popular track.
The Ambani family presented Rihanna with a bouquet and posed for the shutterbugs together after her performance.
Later, actor Janhvi Kapoor shared a reel of her shaking a leg with Rihanna on her song "Zingaat" from her debut film "Dhadak".
"This woman is a goddess. Stop it goodbye," Kapoor captioned the video.
Before flying out on early Saturday morning, the singer took selfies with women cops and obliged the paparazzi with pictures. Rihanna was also photographed sharing a hug with one of the women police officers.
According to multiple media reports, the Barbadian singer was paid Rs 74 crore for performing at the celebration.
Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg with philanthropist-wife Priscilla Chan, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former US president Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, corporate leaders Gautam Adani, Nandan Nilekani, and Adar Poonawala, cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev are also part of the pre-wedding festivities.
Other well-known film personalities who have been invited to the event are Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt, Anil Kapoor, and Madhuri Dixit.
In 2018, music icon Beyonce performed at Mukesh Ambani's daughter Isha's wedding.
Forum brings UK and Chinese film professionals together to explore collaborations.
Emerging British-Asian talent gain mentorship and international exposure.
Small-scale dramas, kids’ shows, and adapting popular formats were the projects everyone was talking about.
Telling stories that feel real to their culture, yet can connect with anyone, is what makes them work worldwide.
Meeting three times a year keeps the UK and China talking, creating opportunities that last beyond one event.
The theatre was packed for the Third Shanghai–London Screen Industry Forum. Between panels and workshops, filmmakers, producers and executives discussed ideas and business cards and it felt more than just a summit. British-Asian filmmakers were meeting and greeting the Chinese industry in an attempt to explore genuine possibilities of working in China’s film market.
UK China film collaborations take off as Third Shanghai London Forum connects British Asian filmmakers with Chinese studios Instagram/ukchinafilm
What makes the forum important for British-Asian filmmakers?
For filmmakers whose films explore identity and belonging, this is a chance to show their work on an international stage, meet Chinese directors, talk co-productions and break cultural walls that normally feel unscalable. “It’s invaluable,” Abid Khan said after a panel, “because you can’t create globally if you don’t talk globally.”
And it’s not just established names. Young filmmakers were all around, pitching ideas and learning on the go. The forum gave them a chance to get noticed with mentoring, workshops, and live pitch sessions.
Which projects are catching international attention?
Micro-dramas are trending. Roy Lu of Linmon International says vertical content for apps is “where it’s at.” They’ve done US, Canada, Australia and next stop, Europe. YouTube is back in focus too, thanks to Rosemary Reed of POW TV Studios. Short attention spans and three-minute hits, she’s ready.
Children’s and sports shows are another hotspot. Jiella Esmat of 8Lions is developing Touch Grass, a football-themed children’s show. The logic is simple: sports and kids content unite families, like global glue.
Then there’s format adaptation. Lu also talked about Nothing But 30, a Chinese series with 7 billion streams. The plan is for an english version in London. Not a straight translation, but a cultural transformation. “‘30’ in London isn’t just words,” Lu says. “It’s a new story.”
Jason Zhang of Stellar Pictures says international audiences respond when culture isn’t just a background prop. Lanterns, flowers, rituals, they’re part of the plot. Cedric Behrel from Trinity CineAsia adds: you need context. Western audiences don’t know Journey to the West, so co-production helps them understand without diluting the story.
Economic sense matters too. Roy Lu stresses: pick your market, make it financially viable. Esmat likens ideal co-productions to a marriage: “Multicultural teams naturally think about what works globally and what doesn’t.”
The UK-China Film Collab’s Future Talent Programme is taking on eight students or recent grads this year. They’re getting the backstage access to international filmmaking that few ever see, including mentorship, festival organising and hands-on experience. Alumni are landing real jobs: accredited festival journalists, Beijing producers, curators at The National Gallery.
Adrian Wootton OBE reminded everyone: “We exist through partnerships, networks, and collaboration.” Yin Xin from Shanghai Media Group noted that tri-annual gathering: London, Shanghai, Hong Kong create an “intensive concentration” of ideas.
Actor-director Zhang Luyi said it best: cultural exchange isn’t telling your story to someone, it’s creating stories together.
The Shanghai-London Screen Industry Forum is no longer just a talking shop. It’s a launchpad, a bridge. And for British-Asian filmmakers and emerging talent, it’s a chance to turn ideas into reality.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.