Business tycoon Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita organized the first ever stage dance performance or streetcar by Indian classical dancer Radhika Merchant. She is the daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant and Shaila Merchant.
The arangetram, which in Tamil denotes the completion of the dancer’s training and debut on stage, was performed at the Grand Theater in Mumbai’s Jio World Center on June 5.
Actors Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh and director Rajkumar Hirani attended the Merchant arangetram along with other illustrious guests from the worlds of sport, film and politics. Maharashtra Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray, who is the state’s environment and tourism minister, was also present at the event with his mother Rashmi Thackeray and his brother Tejas.
Radhika Merchant, who is regularly seen at Ambani family events and ceremonies, is rumored to be secretly engaged to Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani. However, there is no official confirmation on this yet.
Who is Radhika Merchant?
Merchant, 24, has been training in classical Bharatnatyam dance from Shree Nibha Arts under the guidance of Guru Bhavana Thakar, the Economic Times reported. Shree Nibha Arts is a Mumbai-based dance academy with a history of 25 years.
She studied at The Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai and École Mondiale World School. She is also a student at the BD Somani International School. Merchant graduated from New York University with a degree in politics and economics. After graduating, she returned to India and started working as a sales professional in a real estate company.
Her relationship with Anant Ambani
According to various media reports, Radhika and Anant got engaged in an intimate ceremony in 2019, although the news has not been confirmed by the two families until now.
Anant was named director of Reliance New Solar Energy and Reliance New Energy Solar last year.
Merchant is said to have a strong relationship with Nita Ambani and her daughter Isha. She also performed with Akash Ambani’s wife, Shloka Mehta, at Isha’s sangeet ceremony before her wedding to Anand Piramal in 2018.