Ambani wedding photographer on shooting ‘regular weddings' after star-studded festivities
Anant Ambani's star-studded wedding
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding last July was a multi-day affair attended by a veritable galaxy of stars. The wedding festivities kicked off with a three-day party at the Ambani family's Jamnagar estate, followed by a European cruise and private celebrations in London. The wedding itself took place in Mumbai and was preceded by a slew of pre-wedding functions like the sangeet night, mehendi, haldi and more.
All the biggest Bollywood celebrities attended the wedding celebrations, including Shah Rukh Khan, The Bachchan family, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra and more. International business tycoons like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg flew down to India, while several politicians were also part of the festivities.
Joseph Radhik on feeling star-struck
It was the kind of wedding that redefined 'star-studded' – and lensman Joseph Radhik was not immune to feeling star struck.
Radhik is no stranger to celebrities – he is a renowned photographer who was behind the camera for the weddings of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas and many others. However, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding was a whole different ballgame, even for this seasoned photographer.
During a podcast with Ranveer Allahbadia, Radhik was asked about his most star-struck moment from the festivities. He chose the moment of the varmala, where the happy couple was surrounded by multiple stars.
'On the wedding day, during the varmala, both Radhika and Anant were full smiles and everything. On one side was Kim Kardashian, this side was Smriti Irani, this side was Bhaijaan, and this side was the chief minister…' Radhik replied.
The photographer said it was tough for him to focus on the couple and cut out everything else happening around them.
On photographing 'regular weddings'
Radhik also acknowledged that the Ambani wedding was one of his tougher assignments. 'Once you go back to a regular wedding after that, it's like playing a video game on easy mode after nightmare difficulty,' he said.
When Ranveer Allahbadia asked if he no longer has fun playing on easy mode, Joseph Radhik replied, 'Yeah, it took a while. It took at least six to eight months for me to get back to shooting weddings.'
(Also read: IIM graduate hired by Ambanis breaks silence on capturing the biggest wedding of 2024)
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