A report unveiled by Kutniti Foundation, a Delhi-based operational think tank, highlighted that the Ambani wedding was the only India-related news in 2024 which is reported in a somewhat positive light by the international media.

The wedding of Anant Ambani, the son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant, who is the daughter of Viren Merchant, CEO, Encore Healthcare, has become a widely discussed topic both in India and internationally.

The report analyses coverage from over 160 large media outlets across 23 countries in the world that are most relevant to India.

The study focused on the seven largest media outlets in each country, which collectively represent between 80% to 98% of readership. The analysis includes articles published between 12 to 16 July 2024, categorised into positive, neutral, or negative perceptions.

They used an open-source intelligence software called Curebot to automatically gather all articles mentioning India from the selected media.

Kutniti Foundation's objective was to gauge how India is depicted in foreign media, maintaining impartiality by reflecting both positive and negative perspectives.

The presence of renowned Western celebrities at the wedding has captured significant media attention. Unlike the usual focus on Indian politicians, cricketers, and singers by the foreign press, revealing that there is curiosity about how an Indian event could attract such global interest.

The overall world perception was 50% positive, 22% negative and 28% neutral in regards to media articles on the wedding.

Other highlights from the report:

Keeping up with global fame: The attendance of Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian at the wedding has led to them featuring their trip to India in their popular show Keeping up with the Kardashians. This rare inclusion of Indian-related content in a major global program reflects a Kardashian echo chamber effect.

Curiosity about Indian culture and Hinduism: Global media's rare depiction of Indian and Hindu culture has sparked intrigue, with some newspapers highlighting aspects of Indian marriage customs and even referring to them as representative of 'Hindu culture'. Described by some articles as the 'wedding of the century,' the event has been portrayed as setting an unparalleled standard, positioning India momentarily as the best country for such extravagance.

The inequality angle: The majority of the criticism has been reported from the press in the US, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore, where they have repeatedly featured the take of Agence France-Presse (AFP), emphasising the extravagant finale of billionaire Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani's son Anant’s wedding. The story highlights Ambani's immense wealth, India's rapid economic growth, and stark financial disparities. Criticism has been directed at the wedding's budget, with many newspapers deeming it excessive, particularly when contrasted with the perceived poverty in India. This scrutiny serves as a stark reminder of the significant inequalities within the country.

Pictures mark a thousand words: The following five pictures are the most selected by international media outlets to cover The Ambani Wedding. They have been used by many publications across multiple countries.

Ram Divedi, a geopolitician, former paramilitary officer and expert of country destabilisation and CSO, Pravaig, said “If you ask a foreigner to name the Indian Firms he knows, he will just name one: Tata, a car company. However, through its extravagant weddings, the Ambani’s are giving India a second reference."