Where did the bride go in the Ambani wedding?
Hark back to the years of yore and you’ll need to squint to see progress. When Empires or royal houses were joined in matrimony (especially in India) - all that remained of the bride were the names of the man who gave her away and the one that took her in. The woman remained a stone figure in all of this – someone to be respected, look beautiful and if all goes well, fade to the background. Few managed to beat this tradition, can Isha?
She is celebrating her own nuptials with her childhood sweetheart, Anand Piramal, who is the heir to the Piramal conglomerate.
And whether it is real love or the sort of fondness bred from smooshing together two poor-rich people until they ‘fall for each other’, it’s not the festering of emotions – love, resentment, anything else – that’s got people talking.
There’s no space for it, not on social media, not in newspapers. It’s all about Beyonce. The Run the World and Crazy in Love singer wore an Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla outfit with jewellery from Anita Dongre and performed at the pre-main wedding bash.
[No reports yet on what that cost the mum and dad, or the outfit worn by Isha].
And if you get tired of gaping at the multitude of photos, videos, GIFs that take you into that private show, there’s a look at newlyweds Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas and Deepika Padukone - Ranveer Singh rushing in.
The three Khans took the stage and Salman stepped aside so the other two – Amir and Shah Rukh – could do a little jig. Chopra and husband: check; Padukone - Singh: check; a gazillian stars: check.
Still not done? Here comes US former First Lady-almost president Hilary Clinton to shake a leg.
So she’s grown up as the daughter of Indian business magnate Mukesh Ambani, who is worth $43.4 billion, according to Forbes. Soon, she will become Mrs. Piramal, the delightful wife of the oh-so-successful tycoon Anand.
And so disappear into the footnotes of history.
Money has bought Isha an Ivy League education and placed her in situations that have won her –hopefully - real friends and famous and always-there-in-fortunate-times pals. [She was at the recent Chopra-Jonas extravaganza, too, as a bridesmaid no less.]
But at what point does she relegate the roles of background extra to other people? From the looks of it, not now. Perhaps she is a secret introvert who hates the limelight. Fair enough, she’s doing a great job of staying out of it – even her engagement party will always be known as that get together where All of Me singer John Legend performed in Italy.
What’s the bride wearing? What’s she been up to – diets, fats, fitness, charity? Is she happy? Did she get cold feet?
With power - and money – comes great responsibility. And apparently regression.
I’m afraid the bride is lost.
