JAMNAGAR (India) — Rihanna and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg were in India on Friday (March 1) for an extravagant pre-wedding party hosted by Asia's richest man, with celebrations expected to include other globally influential figures.

Global tech bosses, industry titans, Bollywood stars, pop stars and politicians were also present for the three-day gala celebrations hosted by billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani.

The party which lasted through the weekend was an elaborate pre-wedding ceremony for Ambani's younger son Anant and his fiancee Radhika Merchant, the daughter of wealthy pharmaceutical moguls.

Photos published by Indian media confirmed the arrival of Rihanna, Mr Zuckerberg and the Facebook founder's wife Priscilla Chan in Ambani's hometown of Jamnagar, along with former US president Donald Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka.

"Umbrella" singer Rihanna, who gave birth to her second child in August, led Friday's entertainment in her first public performance since last year's Superbowl.

Broadcaster India Today reported that the Barbadian-born musician and women's beauty entrepreneur had been offered up to US$9 million (S$12 million) to appear at the event.

Mr Ambani, 66, is chairman of Reliance Industries — India's biggest company by market capitalisation — and the world's 10th-richest person, according to the Forbes billionaires list, worth more than US$116 billion.

He inherited a thriving industrial enterprise spanning oil, gas and petrochemicals from his father and grew it into a commercial behemoth with lucrative interests in retail, telecommunications and an Indian Premier League cricket team. 

Reliance's partnerships with storied fashion brands such as Burberry, Armani and Jimmy Choo have helped the conglomerate cater to the growing appetite for luxury goods among India's middle class.

Mr Ambani's family home Antilia — a 27-floor skyscraper that reportedly cost more than US$1 billion to build and has a permanent staff of 600 servants — is one of Mumbai's most prominent landmarks.

It was criticised after its 2010 completion by author Arundhati Roy and others for starkly illustrating the wide gulf between India's business elite and its poor multitudes. 

Mr Ambani held the most expensive wedding in India to date for his daughter in 2018, which reportedly cost US$100 million and saw US pop megastar Beyonce perform.

His younger son Anant, 28 — who also serves as a director on the boards of several Reliance-owned firms — is expected to marry Ms Merchant, 29, later this year.

The Ambanis kickstarted celebrations on Wednesday by launching a three-day feast for villagers at the Reliance Township in Jamnagar, in India's western state of Gujarat.

The Ambanis are also building a Hindu temple complex in the city to mark the wedding, the Reliance Foundation said on social media.

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US illusionist David Blaine was also part of the entertainment for guests, who included Microsoft founder Bill Gates and several current and former political leaders.

Also among the invitees was Disney chief Bob Iger, following a deal agreed on Wednesday between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney to merge their Indian media businesses.

The merger will create a US$8.5 billion entertainment giant in the world's most populous nation and fifth-largest economy.

Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, cricket greats Sachin Tendulkar and M S Dhoni, and industry titan Gautam Adani were also invited in a who's-who of India's super-rich elite.

The main celebrations, which ran until Sunday, had different themes, events and dress codes — including a "jungle fever" day with a visit to an animal rescue centre run by Mr Ambani, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported. AFP