Remember that ridiculously expensive wedding card which had social media gawking ? In a nation obsessed with weddings, mining baron and former BJP leader, Gali Janardhan Reddy really raised the bar when it comes to ostentatious display of wealth. He sent his daughter’s wedding invites in a box with an LCD screen playing a video.
The wedding is scheduled to be held on November 16 at the historic Bangalore palace. While the common man is scrambling to assemble each and every rupee, daddy Janardhan is splurging Rs 500 crore for his dearest daughter’s wedding Brahmini, says an India Today report. Talk about black money!
So, while you are standing in a queue waiting for your turn, have a look at all the extravagance this wedding is going to throw on your face. Prepare to drool (or cringe)!
- The wedding venue is made to look like one from the Golden Era of Vijayanagara and the best set designers in the country have constructed palatial sets around it to make it look like ‘heaven’. Rs 150 crore will be spent just on the sets.
- The palace grounds have been transformed into a mini-town of Bellary with the iconic monuments of Hampi, Cowl bazaar, a village in Bellary and the school in which Reddy studied has been recreated.
- Large display screens, free wi-fi hotspots, jimmy jib cameras, drone cameras and many more hi-tech equipment will be used during the wedding.
- As many as eight priests from the famous Tirupati Thirumala temple have been brought in to perform the rituals.
- The bride’s wedding trousseau will comprise a Rs 17-crore saree, which she will wear on her wedding day. The multi-crore saree will be accessorised with jewellery worth 90 crore rupees, gifted by the bride’s father for the special day.
- Reddy has booked about 1500 rooms in top star hotels in Bengaluru where his guests can stay.
- Many Bollywood stars like Shahrukh Khan and Katrina Kaif along with Tollywood stars are expected to perform and attend the wedding. However their participation is not confirmed. Meanwhile, Telugu stars Rakul Preet Singh and Priyamani, have confirmed their participation, reports India Today.
- All the guests, especially the VVIPs, will be ferried from the entrance to the mandap area on cushioned bullock carts. 15 helipads have also been set up to fly-in VIP guests.
- Private security, sniffer dogs, bomb squads has been deployed at the grounds and bouncers have been posted at all entry points.
In case you didn’t know, Reddy spent four years behind bars in connection with the Ballary illegal mining case and was released on conditional bail on January 22, 2015 by the Supreme Court. These elaborate wedding preparations are seen as a part of his revival plan and that’s why he has invited top political leaders to prove that he still matters in Karnataka politics.
But given the demonetisation storm and anti-black money stand that the BJP has adopted, BJP high command has issued a diktat to its members against attending the party.
Senior Karnataka Congress minister K R Ramesh Kumar has also issued a public statement requesting the political leaders not to attend the wedding. Talking to News18, he said, “It is a shame. We all know how he has made money. No leader with self-respect should attend the wedding.”
But well, how can you resist when you get to be part of this larger-than-life wedding!