Hillary Clinton and John Kerry filmed dancing to Bollywood hits at lavish wedding in India
Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were spotted grooving to Bollywood music as they attended the lavish wedding of billionaire families in India. The dance video has since sparked mixed reactions on social media.
The former United States Secretaries of State were at one of the many pre-wedding festivities for the nuptials between Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal when they let down their hair with some dance moves.
WATCH: @HillaryClinton arrives in Udaipur for the wedding of Isha Ambani 👰
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) December 11, 2018
She's the daughter of India's richest man and bride to possibly one of the world's most expensive weddings ever #IshaAmbaniWedding
🎥: Reliance Industries pic.twitter.com/hKgTdXuQ1s
In video footage found at the end of this story, Clinton and Kerry appear to be part of a group dancing on stage. Also included in that group is Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan who is seen whispering in Clinton’s ear. The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate then bursts into laughter and seemed to be taking dancing lessons from Khan.
Clinton and Kerry were in India to take part in the wedding celebrations of 27-year-old Yale grad, Isha Ambani, and 33-year-old Harvard Business School alumnus, Anand Piramal.
Smt Nita Ambani with her daughter Isha Ambani along with Former First Lady Hillary Clinton at Swadesh Bazar an initiative of Reliance Foundation celebrating 108 traditional crafts of India #IshaAmbaniPreWedding @HillaryClinton @ril_foundation pic.twitter.com/3AueoG2wJF
— Umesh Upadhyay (@upadhyayumesh) December 9, 2018
Isha’s father, Mukesh Ambani, is Asia's richest man, who, according to Forbes, is valued at $43.3 billion. He owns Reliance Industries, a conglomerate with holdings in everything from oil and gas refining to telecoms, petrochemicals, retail, and media.
Anand’s father, Ajay Piramal is also a billionaire industrialist with businesses in Pharmaceuticals, financial services, and real estate. Anand already has a real estate company of his own, and Isha is said to be on the on the board of directors of two companies within her father’s empire.
My recent tiger safari in India inspired @HillaryClinton to follow in my footsteps. She just enjoyed the exact same Micato experience yesterday in Ranthambore as detailed in my @forbes article. Read all about it here- https://t.co/dxj0visCgT pic.twitter.com/eYEx7i2ZC2
— Jim Dobson (@TheLuxeWorld) December 12, 2018
Although the actual wedding was scheduled for December 12 at the Ambani’s 27-story billion-dollar home in Mumbai, festivities have been underway since last weekend.
International superstar, Beyoncé, was hired to perform some of her hit songs at a pre-wedding bash in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and the whole affair was so lavish that an app was created to help guests get around.
And #Beyonce wasn't the only one in attendance. @NickJonas and @PriyankaChopra, @HillaryClinton and@AriannaHuff also attended the star-studded event. https://t.co/8A1LVAPyxD
— etalk (@etalkCTV) December 11, 2018
The Clintons and Ambanis are reportedly longtime friends, and the elite Indian family is said to be huge donors of the Clinton Foundation.
While some see Clinton’s attendance as just a family friend supporting another, others have condemned her appearance and the entire lavish affair.
The loudest criticism comes from folks who believe the cost of the wedding, estimated to be about $100 million, is enough to "single-handedly eradicate poverty in India."
Dozens of chartered planes carrying celebrities, including former #US secretary of state @HillaryClinton, flew into a sleepy airport in western #India for the lavish pre-wedding festivities for the daughter of India’s richest man. #MNA #MNA_English #Anglophones pic.twitter.com/bmfZL0UuCA
— M N A (@mnaEN) December 8, 2018
Others are taking a more political approach and condemning Clinton and Kerry on Twitter. The Washington Times collated some responses from several intellectuals, including Tarek Fatah, an author, and Matt Stoller, a fellow at Open Markets Institute.
Fatah observed: “Indian billionaire rents John Kerry and Hillary Clinton along with Beyonce to dance on stage at his daughter’s wedding Is no one in America not for sale?” while Stoller added:
“It’s fine if John Kerry and Hillary Clinton want to attend the insanely lavish wedding of the oligarchs in India. It’s fine if they want to be important voices in Democratic politics. They should, however, choose between doing one or the other.”
John Kerry and Hillary Clinton dancing to Bollywood music with Shah Rukh Khan in India
— sameera khan (@SameeraKhan) December 12, 2018
2018 is weird. pic.twitter.com/tVPcmkqKB2