Mumbai: Pop sensation Rihanna, known primarily for her touring career and infrequent private performances, is reportedly receiving a substantial payment for her appearance at the pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant.
She is getting paid around $8-$9 million (approximately Rs 66 to 74 crore) for the performance, according to sources cited by India Today.
Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son, Anant, is set to tie the knot with industrialist Viren Merchant’s daughter, Radhika, on July 12. The 3-day pre-wedding celebrations will begin on March 1, with an event titled ‘An Evening in Everland’, when guests are expected to dress in sophisticated cocktail attire.
The singer, accompanied by her troupe, arrived in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on February 29. She is likely to deliver a grand performance featuring a medley of her songs, including solo hits like ‘Diamonds’.
The report further said that a significant portion of the expenses for her performance went towards transporting her stage equipment and outfit changes for both her and the background singers.
Rihanna’s most recent performance was at the 2023 Super Bowl half time show, which attracted nearly 121.017 million viewers, ranking it among the most-viewed Super Bowl half time events.
Besides Rihanna, Diljit Dosanjh is expected to entertain the guests at the grand event. Another notable highlight of the pre-wedding festivities will be a performance by the globally renowned illusionist David Blaine.
Bollywood celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan and his family, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir, Arjun Kapoor, ‘Jawan’ director Atlee and his family, are among others who have arrived at Jamnagar for the biggest wedding of the year.
Rihanna, however, is not the first international musician to perform at an Ambani wedding.
In 2018, Beyoncé graced Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal’s sangeet ceremony at Udaipur and she reportedly charged $4 million (approximately Rs 33 crore) for the private event.
In 2019, ‘Maroon 5’ was flown to Mumbai to play during Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta’s Mangal Parv ceremony. He were reportedly paid $1–1.5 million Rs 8–12 crore) for their performance at the event.
