Three men behind India’s bid to become an economic superpower

Narendra Modi, Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani are playing a fundamental role in shaping the kind of economic superpower India will become in the coming decades.

In March, a quiet coastal town in the western Indian state of Gujarat could have given both Davos and Coachella a run for their money. That’s when billionaires and movie stars from around the world jetted to Jamnagar, overwhelming its small airport with private planes and chartered flights. They were all there to party with Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. The 67-year old chairman of India’s most valuable private company Reliance Industries had thrown a lavish pre-wedding bash for his son, welcoming around 1,200 guests from Silicon Valley, Bollywood and beyond. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump were among the many high-profile celebrities in attendance. The three-day celebration, which saw performances by popstar Rihanna and magician David Blaine, transfixed India and further underscored Ambani’s growing global clout. But Ambani was not the only Indian businessman at the bash whose staggering influence and riches are reshaping the world’s most populous country. Fellow billionaire Gautam Adani, founder of the Adani group, was also invited. The infrastructure tycoon has stunned the world with his supercharged rise in the last decade. In 2022, he briefly ousted Jeff Bezos as the world’s second-wealthiest person.