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Simran Keswani
Simran Keswani is a multimedia producer, writer, and on-camera presenter at India.com, known for her vibrant interviewing style and impactful digital storytelling. She creates videos as well as writes ... Read More
For Joseph Radhik, one of India’s most renowned wedding photographers, shooting the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant was simply exceptional. With a career marked by high-profile weddings such as those of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif, and Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth, Radhik is used to grandeur. But he did confess that capturing the multi-month, celebrity-studded Ambani wedding left an indelible impression on him—so much so that he took a six-month sabbatical from weddings after the wedding.
The Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant wedding in July 2024 was a showstopper that held not only India but the world in awe. The extravagance of the celebrations went on for months, from the Hastakshar ceremony in Jamnagar, Gujarat, to the luxury cruise party across Italy and the South of France. From Bollywood stars to corporate titans, the wedding had a presence from the who’s who of the country’s largest industries, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a special appearance.
The size of the wedding was not just in the extravagance but also in the emotional and cultural weight it had. For Radhik, freezing those brief, intimate moments amidst the blazing splendor was a challenge and a privilege.
Radhik unveiled that the biggest challenge was to make sure that his photos captured the essence and feelings of the wedding, and not merely the glamour. “Ultimately, the family should have a set of joyful memories that transcend the glitz and pomp,” he explained.
After the wedding, he presented 100 special photographs to the Ambani family, and they got their own precious personal moments not viewed anywhere else. Another collection of pictures was released to foreign media, disseminating the grandeur of the event worldwide. Radhik pointed out how the pictures that appeared in magazines seemed completely different from the ones retained for the family. “In my mind, it felt like there were two different weddings,” he said.
One of Radhik’s greatest surprises occurred when he was at a wedding photography conference in Crete, Greece, after the Ambani wedding. He met photographers from Romania who, to his astonishment, were aware of the Ambani genealogy merely because of the international exposure the wedding had received. “You would hope that your work reaches a few people, but for it to be appreciated across the globe is just unimaginable,” he said.
The grandeur of Anant Ambani’s wedding left such a profound impact on Radhik that he decided to step away from wedding photography for six months. “After witnessing something so extravagant, attending any other wedding felt like a culture shock,” he confessed. The sheer scale of the event had redefined his perception of weddings, making it difficult for him to immediately return to regular assignments.
For Joseph Radhik, the Ambani wedding was not merely another celebrity event—it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that reaffirmed his love for storytelling in photography. As he comes back to the industry after his hiatus, one thing is for sure: the photographs of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding will be a highlight chapter in his illustrious career.
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