New Delhi: Holding a puja thali in her hands and dressed in an olive grey maxi, global icon Rihanna graced the Ambani residence, Antilia, in Mumbai on 26 April.
The popstar arrived in Mumbai on 24 April for the launch of Fenty Beauty Ki Haveli – a unique immersive experience store only designed for India. The pop-up was organised in partnership with Tira Beauty and Sephora India, both owned by the Ambanis, Reliance.
It was Rihanna’s second visit to the country. She had earlier performed at one of the wedding ceremonies of Radhika Merchal Ambani and Anant Ambani in February 2024.
During her two-day visit, Rihanna launched the beauty store in Mumbai’s Phoenix Palladium Saturday. However, it wasn’t just the popup that made the headlines, but her interactions with the public. She made fun videos with influencers, and on her last day in the city, she was welcomed for a grand lunch at the Ambani residence.
Here are the five moments from Rihanna’s visit to India that topped the charts.
Puja, aarti and flower holi
Rihanna was invited to the Ambani residence for lunch, where she was welcomed by Isha Ambani, Mukesh Ambani’s daughter. And the family’s daughters-in-law, Shloka and Radhika.
On her arrival, Rihanna was welcomed with a traditional Indian dance performance. She played flower holi in the lavish, sprawling courtyard of the luxury skyscraper. After which, the ‘Diamonds’ singer performed aarti with Isha, Shloka and Radhika. Ambani’s youngest son, Anant Ambani, was also present.
The singer then goes on to feed the cows present at the ceremony along with Anant.
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Learning Bharatanatyam
On the launch day of the exquisite store, Rihanna wore a yellow-chartreuse Mugler dress. While she flaunted her beauty brand, she also made several videos with Mumbai-based influencers.
In one such video, Rihanna is taught Bharatanatyam by Tamil influencer Nejm. In a video shared on Instagram, which has more than three lakh likes, the 26-year-old influencer was seen teaching the singer the different mudras (hand gestures).
“Never thought I’d be able to share my Tamil culture with THE @badgalriri,” Nejm wrote.
The influencer demonstrated a simple dance move to Rihanna, which the ‘Umbrella’ singer picked up and performed with enthusiasm.
After the performance, Nejm posed a series of questions, to which the global star cheekily responded using only her eye expressions.
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Reunion with Orry
At the same event, Rihanna met Orry – marking her second interaction with him after the Jamnagar wedding.
At the launch, the two were seen enjoying a playful photo session, and later appeared together in a fun skit shared by Orry.
In the video, which has garnered over nine lakh likes, Orry asks Rihanna to request a photo with him — something the ‘Work Work Work’ singer obliges. In a humorous twist, Orry initially refuses, only for Rihanna to catch him moments later and get the pictures clicked anyway.
Shukriya to fans
While closing the pop-up for the night, Rihanna was seen stepping out briefly. She asked people around her, “How do you say ‘Thank you’ in Hindi?”.
Before turning around and telling the crowd and camera crew, “Shukriya”.
Rihanna’s simple gesture received cheers and applause as the crowd at the Lower Parel mall could not control their excitement.
During the event, Rihanna was also seen posing with a photographer, who had asked to for a picture of the singer while she was on the red carpet.
‘I will beat them up’
At the launch, Rihanna also met Ankush Bahuguna, an Instagram influencer, who promotes male makeup.
In the video titled “You better be nice ft Rihanna”, Bahuguna wrote, “Rihanna has a message for my trolls”.
Rihanna starts the video by telling viewers they’d “better be nice to her friend, Ankush,” before Bahuguna begins promoting the Fenty Beauty foundation.
Rihanna further adds, “Wait, they are not nice to you? I will beat them up”. Bahuguna is often bullied online for promoting makeup for men.
She then points to Bahuguna and says, “You are so pretty, Ankush”.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)