Donald Trump Jr, US President Donald Trump’s son, was spotted in India, taking a tour of the Taj Mahal. Around the same time, global music icons Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez also landed in the country. What surprised many was that none of them were here for concerts, public appearances or diplomatic engagements.
So what brought them all to India?
The answer lies in a star-studded wedding hosted by a businessman few Indians had previously heard of.
Raj Ramalinga Mantena is not a household name in India. But after the grand wedding of his daughter Netra Mantena, which transformed Udaipur into a dazzling stage for Hollywood, Bollywood and global business elites, he has suddenly become the talk of the town.
Originally from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Raj Ramalinga Mantena studied pharmacy before moving to the US in the 1980s. There, he built an extraordinary career, founding and later selling companies in the pharmaceutical and IT sectors. Over the years, he rose to become a billionaire Indian-American entrepreneur.
Mantena’s success lies at the intersection of technology and medicine. His current ventures include:
Ingenus Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures affordable generic drugs and operates across the US, Switzerland and India
Integra Connect, a health-tech firm that uses data analytics to improve cancer care outcomes
Despite his accomplishments, Mantena remained relatively unknown in India—until his daughter’s lavish wedding to tech entrepreneur Vamsi Gadiraju went viral.
The four-day celebration unfolded across Udaipur’s iconic venues, including The Leela Palace and Jagmandir, offering a glimpse into Mantena’s immense wealth. The guest list brought together some of the world’s biggest stars, including Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Donald Trump Jr., Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh, Madhuri Dixit, and Karan Johar.
With such a galaxy of celebrities landing in India for a single private event, the Mantena wedding has quickly become one of the most talked-about moments in recent times.