Weddings are no less than a festival in India. With a larger-than-life setup, expensive decor, and lavish food menu, it is one of the biggest events in the Indian culture. In 2015 and 2016, we witnessed two of the biggest South Indian weddings, which awed many as everything was royal. Both weddings crossed all the benchmarks, and to this date, there is no match for them. Let us look at both the weddings, which became the talk of the town.
The two lavish weddings in question were billionaires, Ravi Pillai and G. Janardhana Reddy’s daughters. The business mogul, B. Ravi Pillai, is a Dubai-based Indian billionaire and the founder of RP Group. Under his leadership, RP Group has invested in multiple industries, such as construction, hospitality, steel, cement, and oil. With his business spread in Dubai and other Arab countries like the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar, Ravi Pillai’s total net worth is 3.1 billion USD, approximately Rs. 320 crores.
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On the other hand, the next billionaire in question is G. Janardhana Reddy. At the mere age of 21, Janardhana Reddy established a non-banking finance company called, Ennoble India Savings and Investment Company Limited. Apart from his wide business, he is also a politician. Janardhana Reddy is also called as the mining baron and reportedly has a net worth of Rs. 250 crores. Let us compare how the two billionaires spent crores on their daughter’s wedding.
B Ravi Pillai’s daughter, Dr. Arathi Ravi Pillai, married Dr. Adithya Vishnu in 2015. The billionaire threw a magnificent display of his wealth by spending approximately Rs. 55 crores on his daughter’s wedding. On the other hand, reports claim that G. Janardhana Reddy spent approximately Rs. 550 crores on his daughter, Brahmani Reddy’s wedding in 2016. Brahmani married Rajiv Reddy, son of Hyderabad-based businessman, Vikram Deva Reddy.
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Ravi Pillai’s daughter, Aarathi’s wedding took place at Asramam grounds, Kollam, Kerala, showcasing a unique lotus-themed mandap. The astonishing part was that the wedding pandal was planned by the production designer, Sabu Cyril, who worked with SS Rajamouli for his film, Bahubali. In a media interaction, Sabu Cyril revealed that the wedding set was larger than the set of the film, Bahubali.
Spread across 20 acres, the 3,50,000 square feet lotus-themed pandal had huge floral elephants and chandeliers. The venue alone cost Rs. 20 crores. The Designer, Sabu Cyril, spent 75 days creating a Rajasthani ambience on the mandap.
On the other hand, the wedding of G. Janardhana Reddy’s daughter, Brahmani Reddy, took place in the Bengaluru Palace. The entire venue was designed on 36 acres of land to resemble the ruins of Hampi, the capital of the Vijaynagar Empire. Various sections of the mandap had replicas of King Krishnadevaraya’s palace, Lotus Mahal, Mahanavami Dibba and the Vijaya Vittala Temple.
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A popular art director of Bollywood reconstructed the entire mandap with around 100 labourers. The former BJP minister also reconstructed his childhood home ‘Hale Mane’ in Belgavi, and at the same place, he handed over his daughter to the groom.
Aarathi Ravi Pillai’s wedding saw many eminent personalities gracing the venue. About 30,000 guests from 42 countries attended the wedding, including the royal families of Qatar. Popular Malayalam actors like Mohanlal and Mammootty, the CEOs of Samsung and Japan Gas Corporation, famous politicians, and business tycoons attended the week-long multi-crore wedding.
Talking about Brahmani Reddy’s guests list, a number of ministers and the then Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Vala, attended the wedding. Film stars like Punith Raj Kumar, Ravichandran, Vishal Krishna, Suman, Sharath Babu, etc., were also on the guest list. As per multiple reports, almost 50,000 guests graced the wedding, and the wedding invite cost Rs. 5 crores with an LCD screen displaying a song picturised on the Reddy family.
To entertain the guests, renowned actresses and dancers, Shobhana and Manju Warrier showcased Bharatanatyam performances. Not just this, but a musical show conducted by Stephen Devassy. Another enchanting performance, Rhythm of the Forest, choreographed by Soorya, saw 400 dancers showcase their talent on stage.
A traditional Kerala sadya was served for the guests in dining halls, which could accommodate 7,000 guests at a time. Ravi Pillai also claimed that his daughter’s wedding was his way of bringing tourism to Kerala, but it surely awestruck many with its grandeur.
At Brahmani Reddy’s wedding, many popular actors like Tamanna Bhatia, Rakul Preet Singh, Priya Mani, Prabhu Deva, comedian Brahmanand and Kannada star Yash performed at the event. 1500 rooms were booked in five-star hotels in Bangalore for the five-day-long wedding. Over 2000 cabs and 15 helicopters were hired to fly VIP guests from their hotels to the venue. Around 3000 security personnel were deployed at the venue.
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For the wedding, Ravi Pillai’s daughter, Arathi Pillai, donned a crimson red saree with the customary drape from the shelves of ace designer, Manish Malhotra. The wedding theme was the concept of Sita entering the mandap on a chariot. For the main ceremony, Arathi opted for a traditional Kerala kasavu saree with a loose hairstyle tied with strands of jasmine flowers. For the reception, Arathi donned a heavily embroidered red lehenga.
On the other hand, G. Janardhana Reddy’s daughter, Brahmani Reddy, donned a muted gold kanjeevaram saree for her engagement. For the sangeet ceremony, she donned a golden embellished lehenga with floral motifs inspired by Vrindavan Gardens by ace designer, Neeta Lulla. For the wedding, Brahmani opted for a red kanjeevaram half-saree, designed in 22-carat gold with heavy work of pure gold. It reportedly cost Rs. 17 crores.
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, which was proved during Arathi Pillai and Brahmani Reddy’s wedding as the two billionaire daughters donned precious diamond jewellery from head to toe. Talking about Arathi’s jewellery, the bride donned a diamond choker neckpiece with a statement layered haar, matching diamond earrings, a kamarbandh, bajubandh, a mathapatti and diamond bangles.
Brahmani Reddy, too replaced her wedding jewellery with diamonds instead of gold. Her wedding jewellery included a headgear with several strands of diamonds connected with her maang teeka. A broad diamond kamarbandh, bajubandh, a diamond choker, layered necklace, matching earrings and bangles. According to various reports, Brahmani’s wedding jewellery was estimated at Rs. 90 crores.
Billionaires, Ravi Pillai and G. Janardhana Reddy showcased their huge wealth by throwing one of the grandest weddings of their daughters, which spoke of royalty and opulence. Which one of these weddings awestruck you the most? Let us know.
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