Radhika Merchant, wife-to-be of billionaire’s son, ‘copies’ rom-com wedding speech
A video of a bride-to-be, who is marrying into India’s richest family, has gone viral online after her pre-wedding speech seemed to take inspiration from a 2000s rom-com.
Radhika Merchant, who is marring Anant Ambani, the son of India’s richest billionaire tycoon in July, delivered a heartfelt speech during the couple’s three-day lavish pre-wedding festivities earlier this month.
The celebrations were attended by over 1,500 guests including Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump.
Footage of the speech shared on social media shows multiple lines appear to be ripped almost word for word from the 2004 Hollywood film Shall We Dance, featuring Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, Richard Jenkins, and Jennifer Lopez.
In the video, Sarandon tells Jenkins’ character: “Every day you’re saying your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness.”
Similarly, in Merchant’s vows, she said: “Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will witness it.”
Many online pointed out the obvious similarities and accused Ms Merchant of clearly ‘copying’ the Hollywood film’s script.
“She copied. End of story,” one person wrote on X.
“Think she must have used Chat GP,” said another.
“Looks like Radhika Merchant found her ‘script’ for love in the DVD collection!” said another.
“Looks like the Ambanis may have some explaining to do,” another wrote.
However, others came to her defense, suggesting “maybe it’s just her favorite movie.”
“I know this movie and dialogue so well that the moment she uttered those lines I knew it’s this movie she is talking about. Not for a moment did she claim the speech has been written by her,” another said.
Another pointed out Ms Merchant began that part of the speech by stating “Someone once told me what you really find when you find a partner.”
“The truth is that she, quite literally, starts this part of her speech by saying, ‘Someone once told me’,” one person commented on X.
“You can say that she should’ve quoted the name of the movie if she knew, but nowhere in her speech does she claim that these were her lines or writing.”
Merchant’s future father-in-law, Mukesh Ambani, is chairman of oil-to-telecoms giant Reliance Industries and is worth more than $114 billion, according to the Forbes real-time billionaires list.
His son also serves as a director on the boards of several Reliance-owned firms.
Ambani held the most expensive wedding in India for his daughter in 2018, which reportedly cost $100 million and saw US pop megastar Beyonce perform.
At his son’s wedding, R & B star Rihanna, illusionist David Blaine, and Bollywood’s Diljit Dosanjh will perform for the guests, who are expected to include Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Meta head Mark Zuckerberg, and several current and former political leaders, according to a list released by Reliance.
Also among the invitees is Disney chief Robert Iger, following a deal agreed Wednesday between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney to merge their Indian media businesses.
Other guests invited include Ivanka Trump, the former US president’s daughter, as well as ex-Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and the King of Bhutan.
Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan, cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar and M.S. Dhoni, and industry titan Gautam Adani are also invited in a who’s-who of India’s super-rich elite.
