A dazzling wedding celebration is taking over Udaipur, with the City of Lakes transforming into a global celebrity hotspot. International icons, political figures and Bollywood stars arrive for the four-day festivities of US-based industrialist Raju Mantena’s daughter Netra Mantena, who is marrying entrepreneur Vamsi Gadiraju.
Anticipation surged on Friday night as Donald Trump Jr, son of the US President, arrived in the city and visited the Leela Palace under heavy security. Trump Jr. had been on a personal visit to Gujarat earlier in the week. He was touring the Reliance Foundation-run Vantara wildlife centre, before flying into Rajasthan for a wedding ceremony scheduled from November 21 to November 24, as per Indian Express report.
Hollywood and global icons in attendance
The guest list reads like a page out of an international event. Global entertainment superstars Jennifer Lopez have already arrived. Earlier, Jennifer had also participated in the wedding of UK-based businessman Sanjay Hinduja and Anu Mahtani. Justin Bieber is also expected to grace the event. Dutch DJ Tiesto has already performed at The Leela Palace, as reported by PTI. Performances by Black Coffee and Cirque du Soleil were also scheduled to take place on Friday.
Bollywood’s biggest star presence
A steady stream of the Indian film fraternity has been landing at Udaipur’s Dabok Airport since Friday morning.
Shahid Kapoor
Madhuri Dixit
Hrithik Roshan
Ranbir Kapoor
Kriti Sanon
Jacqueline Fernandez
Jhanvi Kapoor
Nora Fatehi
Varun Dhawan
Sofia Choudhary
Local organisers who are involved in the arrangements stated to the PTI that more than 600 guests are expected. As per a report by Free Press Journal over 120 celebrities from around 40 countries will mark their presence.
The celebration will span some of Udaipur’s most iconic venues like The Leela Palace, Zenana Mahal, Manek Chowk and the majestic Jagmandir Island Palace on Lake Pichola.
The décor is a lavish mix of floral installations, royal themes and chandeliers, and the red interiors have been created at the Leela Palace.
Adding to the royal touch, an elephant named Babu has been brought from Jaipur’s Hathi Gaon to lead part of the groom’s procession, as reported by the Indian Express. This will be a ceremonial nod to Rajasthan’s royal traditions.
Security heightened across Udaipur
With global personalities arriving, security has been tightened across Udaipur. Udaipur SP Yogesh Goyal has confirmed to the Indian Express about the traffic diversions, coordinated planning between the Indian and US agencies and deployment of special forces.
The haldi ceremony is scheduled to be held on November 22, the wedding at Jagmandir on the morning of November 23, followed by a grand reception on the same evening. As per PTI, guests are expected to depart from November 24 through chartered flights.
