Why have we allowed our beautiful, traditional Indian shaadis to be converted into “The Greatest Shams on Earth?” We are in the thick of shaadi season. It is impossible to go anywhere in Mumbai without running into a ghodi with a wobbly dulha gamely going along with assorted family members, over-enthusiastic friends, and a few randoms who’ve decided to join the baraat and dance along.
When did The Big Fat Indian Wedding become The Big Fat Indian Tamasha? Take the latest demo of OTT opulence. An unknown “billionaire” popped up out of nowhere to celebrate the wedding of his daughter in Udaipur. Nobody had heard of the man. Nobody cared. But they still flocked! To dance and sing and hug and kiss complete strangers who had taken over one of India’s most historic and stunning cities (Udaipur), only to convert it into a vulgar version of Disneyland. There was hardly any Udaipur visible and much more ghastly studio sets in the countless reels extensively shared over social media.
So many days after the hideousness of the extravaganza, very few people are aware of the host’s name. For the record, it is Rama Raju Mantena. Ring a bell? Unlikely.
“We love you all so much…” drawled Netra, the blushing bride, reading the text from her iPhone. Everyone clapped and felt instantly loved. Who was this petite youngling in kumkum red, reciting wedding vows while scrolling furiously so as not to miss a line? Her newly minted husband (who be he?) obediently read his vows, and their Telugu-Yankee accent further confounded and confused overdressed, hard-to-place guests.
But then “Confusion” could well have been the wedding theme… since nobody had a clue who was throwing so much money around and why. There were guessing games galore. If Donald Trump’s son had shown up with his lovely girlfriend in tow and danced sportingly with folks they were unlikely to ever set eyes on again, something black had to be in the lentils. What could it be? Is the pharma “billionaire” from Vijayawada whose net worth doesn’t quite match the media projection of one of those fat-cat NRI donors to Daddy Donald’s political campaign? Was a favour being returned?
Then came a line-up of the yummiest global A-list entertainers. Jennifer Lopez is a professional pop phenomenon for hire. Pay her Rs 17 crore for a gig and she will happily turn up at the neighbourhood mohalla to belt out a medley of her hit tracks. “Save Me Tonight,” JLo crooned. Many guests wanted to join the chorus.
Spurning SRK?
But once you sign up for a celebrity-driven destination “event” (can’t call it a wedding-wedding), you are held hostage for three days that test your sanity and stamina. Unless you are Ranveer Singh, who always looks like he is having the best time as he sprints manically up and down the venue, grabbing unsuspecting invitees and getting them to make complete fools of themselves. Assuming the family had paid Ranveer enough to include a sub-clause that specified he’d have to perform on stage with the father of the bride (incongruously dressed like Gogia Pasha, the magician), there is no excuse for that cringe-worthy act.
Almost as shudder-shudder as Shah Rukh Khan “romancing’’ the very indifferent Netra, with his trademark moves, while she looked visibly bored. Girl… this is King Khan wooing you publicly. So what if your dad has shelled out zillions for every micro-second he’s on that stage holding a red rose in his hand! Think of how you come across on Insta. You spurned SRK!!!! Himmat!
Something changed while nobody was looking. Desi weddings have been converted into fake, vapid, meaningless social media extravaganzas, calibrated to enhance the host’s brand positioning. Aha, there you have it!
It is reported that Mantena (48) owns a 16-bedroom Florida property with a private beach, valued at Rs 400 crore. But his published net worth is reportedly a measly Rs 167 crore or $20 million. Nothing adds up. Billed as “The Wedding of the Year’’ by gushing desi mediawalas, the viral shaadi racked up a record number of views across platforms and dominated social media for a week. Was it a shrewd marketing gimmick for a man nobody had heard of back home (he left India in 2014)? If so, hats off! Maybe we should forget and forgive the total absence of good taste and good sense, and just say, “Thank you”, for the employment generated in and around Udaipur.
Question still remains: Mantena ka motivation kya tha? To play “Mine is bigger than yours’’ with the Ambanis and grab the title of “Wedding of the Century?” Compete with Jeff Bezos and his Venice wali shaadi? Establish his own brand before leaping into politics?
Just hope Vamsi, the dulha, and Netra, the dulhan, make it worth the money sunk into Lake Pichola, and live happily ever after.
Also read: The reel story of Indian weddings—how they are lavish, viral & broke
What’s in a name?
Does Deepika Padukone need additional ‘dua’ — I don’t mean another bambino to keep her infant daughter named Dua company. But the latest biz buzz around her ambitious skin care venture (launched in November 2022) has been a bummer, posting net losses of Rs 12.3 crore in 2025. Maybe it’s the weird name — imagine walking into a store and asking, “Do you have an 82°E nourishing cream?” The bizarre brand identity based on longitudes and latitudes never really took off. Customers don’t need a geography lesson at a beauty counter. Especially not when a jar of some gooey cream retails at a staggering Rs 4000! The poor brand didn’t stand a chance from the get-go.
Meanwhile Katrina’s Kay Beauty, a makeup brand launched in 2019, is raking it in. It has witnessed explosive growth without any additional star power to boost its product line. So far, Katrina and Vicky Kaushal’s baby boy has not been officially named, though deliriously happy fans have suggested “Chhava’’ (lion cub) as a tribute to Vicky’s last big hit.
Kay Beauty is expected to post a thumping profit. Projections for 2025 are pegged at Rs 100–105 crore. Enough to comfortably keep Baby Chhava in luxe diapers.
Shobhaa De is an author, columnist, social commentator, and opinion-shaper. She has written 20 books. She tweets @DeShobhaa. Views are personal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)