The gala three-day event of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar, Gujarat is the current talk of the town. Celebrities from across the country and the world including Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Rihanna, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ram Charan, Rani Mukerji, Madhuri Dixit, etc were among many others who attended the grand event. In fact, social media is replete with videos and pictures of the pre-wedding festivities.
The highlight of the event was when the Khan trio- Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir performed together on the stage, however, a major controversy erupted when Telugu superstar Ram Charan’s fans took offence to the ‘idly vada’ remark made by Shah Rukh Khan on the RRR star.
The trio at first tried doing the hook step of Ram Charan and Jr Ntr’s RRR song Naatu Naatu. At one point, Shah Rukh Khan announced Ram Charan’s name asking him to join them on stage to do the hook step of the song together. Amongst the several gibberish words, seemingly in Telugu or Tamil, which King Khan used to call out to the Telugu superstar, he said, “Bhend idly vada Ram Charan kahan hain tu”. Ram Charan then joined the Khan trio on stage and the four danced to Ram Charan and Jr Ntr’s RRR song Naatu Naatu. A video of the same was shared by Pinkvilla on its Instagram.
The controversy started when Ram Charan and his wife Upasana’s makeup artist Zeba Hassan posted a video of the same and alleged that SRK was disrespectful towards the Telugu actor and addressed him as ‘idli vada’. “I’m a huge SRK fan, but I really disliked the way he called Ram Charan on stage.” her comment on the post read. She added that soon after, she walked out of the event.
Zeba further shared a statement on Instagram but deleted it later. A part of it read, “It’s funny how everyone wants to pay us ‘lesser’ because we’re from south India whereas they’re okay to pay triple the amount for the same thing to an artist if that artist is Delhi or Mumbai-based.”
Soon after Zeba’s post, several Netizens started sharing their disappointment at Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘idly vada’ remark. One X user Tarun wrote, “Rscist Shah Rukh Khan referred to ‘RRR’ Star Ramcharan As Idli vada while calling him on Stage.Ram Charan’s Makeup Artist Zeba Hassan walked out after hearing this.”
Rscist Shah Rukh Khan referred to 'RRR' Star Ramcharan As Idli vada while calling him on Stage.
— Tarun (मोदी का परिवार) 🇮🇳 தருண் | ತರುಣ್ (@fptarun) March 4, 2024
😡😡😡
Ram Charan's Makeup Artist Zeba Hassan walked out after hearing this.pic.twitter.com/kr1vJVolhd
Another angry social media user posted, “SRK calls Superstar Ramcharan “Idli” while inviting him on stage at Ambanis prewedding celebration party. Disrespectful, deplorable and highly insensitive !!”
SRK calls Superstar Ramcharan "Idli" while inviting him on stage at Ambanis prewedding celebration party.
— Dr Poornima(Modi Ka Parivar)🚩🇮🇳 (@PoornimaNimo) March 5, 2024
Disrespectful, deplorable and highly insensitive !! pic.twitter.com/olTGRCRy7F
“Shahrukh Khan is being insensitive by referring to Ram Charan as “idli,” which could be perceived as a racial stereotype against South Indians. SHAME ON YOU @iamsrk#RamCharan,” remarked another Ram Charan fan.
Shahrukh Khan is being insensitive by referring to Ram Charan as "idli," which could be perceived as a racial stereotype against South Indians. SHAME ON YOU @iamsrk#RamCharan pic.twitter.com/kUFRd6fTUj
— YoungTiger | Fan Account | (@Sallu_Stann) March 4, 2024
Enraged by Shah Rukh Khan’s remark another Tollywood fan wrote, SRK called @AlwaysRamCharan as “Bhend Idli”.!! Imagine the outrage if Ram Charan had called him a “pincharwala or bakra biryani”.!! Elitist mindsets of BollyDawoodiyas are jealous of Tollywood actors and satisfy their ego by degrading others.!”
SRK called @AlwaysRamCharan as "Bhend Idli".!!
— Gems Of Telangana (@GemsOfKCR) March 5, 2024
Imagine the outrage if Ram Charan had called him a "pincharwala or bakra biryani".!!
Elitist mindsets of BollyDawoodiyas are jealous of Tollywood actors and satisfy their ego by degrading others.!
pic.twitter.com/cVWSUwDAsS pic.twitter.com/yq2UsiBKHR
The Ambanis hosted the pre-wedding ceremony of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant, daughter of industrialist Viren Merchant, in Gujarat’s Jamnagar from March 1-3. International singer Rihanna and magician David Blaine performed at the star-studded event, alongside renowned Indian musicians including Arijit Singh, Ajay-Atul, and Diljit Dosanjh.
Recently, the invitation for Anant and Radhika’s pre-wedding festivities went viral on social media, offering insights into the event. “We are delighted to extend an invitation to Radhika and Anant’s pre-wedding celebrations at the Reliance Greens in Jamnagar, from March 1-3, 2024. In 1997, Reliance established the world’s largest grassroots refining complex near Jamnagar. Over the years, they have planted more than 10 million trees in this arid region, transforming it into a flourishing green community teeming with flowers and fruits, and hosting Asia’s largest mango orchard! In the spirit of this initiative, Anant has devotedly nurtured this complex into a sanctuary of care and compassion for thousands of rescued animals,” part of the invite revealed.
Anant and Radhika had their engagement ceremony, known as Gol Dhana, in Mumbai on January 19, 2023. In Gujarati tradition, Gol Dhana signifies the engagement, where coriander seeds and jaggery are distributed to guests. The bride and her family traditionally bring sweets and gifts to the groom’s house. During the ceremony, the couple exchanges rings and seeks blessings from five married women from each family.
