Justin Bieber's appearance at major Indian wedding draws scrutiny

Bieber performed two of his hit songs, "Love Yourself" and "I’m the One," at the sangeet ceremony, an Indian wedding tradition celebrating the union of two families. Ambani’s son, Anant, will marry Radhika Merchant in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, on Friday.

However, the performance received mixed reactions on social media. According to reports, the singer was paid $10 million to appear at the event. Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, is the richest person in India and Asia, with an estimated net worth of $123 billion.

The hefty paycheck has sparked sharp criticism from both supporters and detractors, who question the excessive spending. Another performer, popular Indian rapper Badshah, was paid around $500,000 to perform at the ceremony, according to a report.

The ceremony coincided with a hike in mobile tariffs by Jio, a subsidiary of Reliance. With over 460 million users, Jio is the largest telecom service in India and the third largest in the world. “Tariffs have been increased because of [the fee to hire Bieber],” claimed one online commenter.

Ivanka Trump and Bill Gates were among the guests at the pre-wedding for the son of Asia’s richest man in India. Meanwhile, Bieber's outfit—a white ribbed tank and track pants worn low over plaid Ralph Lauren boxers—also came under scrutiny. Commenting on pictures posted by Bieber after the event, one person noted that he was “showing off his cotton underwear at [a billionaire’s] house.” Another suggested that posting pictures from the wedding might have been part of Bieber’s “deliverables.”

While the Ambanis have been tight-lipped about the star performer for the main wedding ceremony, reports suggest it could be British singer Adele.

The grand finale on Friday will conclude months of festivities for the billionaire couple, which have already featured concerts by Rihanna, Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys, David Guetta, and Andrea Bocelli. In March, around 1,200 celebrities, businesspeople, and world leaders attended a pre-wedding celebration in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

The guest list included Donald Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka, tech billionaires Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, BlackRock co-founder Larry Fink, and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Rihanna was reportedly paid $7 million to perform at the event. Altogether, the wedding could end up costing the Ambanis around $320 million, according to reports.

The 2018 wedding of Ambani’s daughter, Isha, was equally lavish and featured many national and international stars.