As a young girl preparing for her arangetram—the solo debut of a Bharatanatyam dancer—Nita Ambani faced a challenge: her family couldn’t afford to rent a theater. Instead, she performed in a temple. “That was when the seeds were sown,” she recalls, “of wanting to do something for art and for artisans.”
Decades later, now chairperson of the Reliance Foundation and wife of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, she realized that childhood dream in spectacular fashion. In 2023, she inaugurated the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai. The launch was a dazzling, three-day affair quickly labeled “India’s Met Gala.” Among the star-studded guest list: Zendaya, Shah Rukh Khan, Gigi Hadid, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, Alia Bhatt, and Emma Chamberlain—all dressed in ensembles celebrating Indian craftsmanship.
The high-wattage event reflected Ambani’s global inspiration. Having visited renowned institutions like The Met—where she became an honorary trustee in 2019—as well as Lincoln Center and the Sydney Opera House, she often wondered why India didn’t have a similar cultural landmark. “I wanted to create a space to celebrate India’s rich heritage through dance, drama, music, folklore, arts, and crafts,” she says.
That vision took ten years to realize. Today, NMACC houses world-class performance spaces and galleries that have showcased everything from Broadway hits like Mamma Mia! and The Phantom of the Opera to classical Indian dance and regional music. Its art exhibitions have featured luminaries such as Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, and Dan Flavin.
Ambani hasn’t slowed down since. In 2024, she hosted a months-long, $600 million wedding celebration for her son Anant and fiancée Radhika Merchant, replete with couture, jewels, and a galaxy of global celebrities. And now, she’s taking her cultural initiative to an international stage.
This fall, from September 12 to 14, the NMACC will present a cultural showcase at New York City’s Lincoln Center. Dubbed the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre Weekend, the three-day event will feature dance, music, fashion, and more. “We want to place Indian arts and artists at the forefront of the world’s creative consciousness,” Ambani says. “Culture binds us, builds empathy, and fosters respect for diversity. That’s something the world deeply needs right now.”
The festivities will begin with Grand Swagat, an invite-only gala. The evening will include a fashion show highlighting Swadesh, Ambani’s handloom initiative, curated by designer Manish Malhotra—fresh off his Met Gala debut—and a specially crafted menu by Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna of New York’s acclaimed Bungalow restaurant.
“NMACC is doing an incredible job showing the world what India truly is,” says Khanna. “To be part of this mission, with Nita’s vision behind it, is an absolute honor.” He teases that the menu, still in development, is a culinary journey across India’s diverse flavors. “The amount of research I’ve done for this—I could earn another PhD!” he jokes.
