Weddings are a big deal in India and desis do not shy away from splurging crores and crores in OTT celebrations. However, some of them really take the cake! Case in point—an India businessman who literally put the “extra” in his daughter’s extravagant wedding! And no, I am not talking about the Ambanis.
In 2015, businessman B Ravi Pillai hosted his daughter’s grand wedding. It is still one of the most talked about weddings to date, and rightly so. Ravi’s daughter, Dr Arathi Pillai, married a Kochin-based doctor, Adithya Vishu, in Kolam, Kerala. And guess how much the wedding cost? Well, *take a seat* Ravi Pillai reportedly spent over Rs 55 crores on Arathi’s big lavish wedding!
Scroll down to know more interesting details about the wedding!
A Guest List Of 30,000 People
Malayalis take pride in inviting as many guests as possible to their celebrations. A true Malayali, Ravi Pillai ended up inviting 30,000 guests from around 42 countries to his daughter’s wedding! It was attended by the royal families of Qatar, renowned superstars like Mohanlal and Mammootty, and many politicians. CEOs of companies like Samsung and the Japan Gas Corporation were also on the guestlist!
Wedding Pandal Larger Than Bahubali Set?
To design his daughter’s wedding pandal, Ravi Pillai hired award-winning film art designer Sabu Cyril who has also worked on the movie Bahubali. The magnificent pandal featured floral chandeliers and elephant statues, and a lotus-themed mandap—for which Ravi spent more than 20 crores. It took around 200 people and 75 days to create the setup which covered 40,000 sq. ft. and spread across 8 acres of land. And according to Sabu, the wedding pandal setup was larger than the Bahubali set!
Wedding Performance By Renowned Artists
He organised a dance performance by renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Shobana and Kuchipudi dancer, Manju Warrier. A musical show was also conducted by Indian musician Stephen Devassy and there was also a ‘Rhythm Of The Forest” show performance choreographed by Soorya with around 400 dancers. Actress Navya Nair gave a fusion dance performance and the guests also enjoyed singer Manjari’s ghazal recital.
World-Famous Cuisines On The Menu
Reportedly, the menu had a selection of global cuisines. A traditional Kerala sadya with 10 varieties of payasam was the highlight though. The scrumptious feast was served to guests in a dining hall which could accommodate around 7000 people.
All Things Diamond
Usually, Malayali brides are bedecked in gold! Aarthi, however, ditched the traditional South Indian jewellery and instead chose diamonds. From her mathapatti and necklace to her kamarbandh and baju bandh, everything was adorned with diamonds.
Aarthi’s bridal outfit too exuded royalty. She wore a traditional South Indian crimson silk saree with embellishments on the borders. It was designed by ace designer Manish Malhotra.
Who Is Ravi Pillai?
Ravi Pillai is a Dubai-based Indian business and head of RP Group of Companies. He hails from Kollam, a coastal town in Kerala. Apart from hosting one of the most expensive weddings, he also made headlines for being the first Indian owner of the Airbus H145 helicopter. He reportedly bought the bus for Rs. 100 crores.
After the wedding, Ravi Pillai revealed that he hosted a lavish wedding to boost tourism in Kerala. But c’mon, the wedding has attracted anything but that, right?
Wow, this wedding can put even some of the biggest Bollywood shaadis to shame!
Featured Image: Twitter
