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    How Anil convinced Dhirubhai Ambani to let him marry Tina Munim

    Synopsis

    It wasn't an easy journey for the industrialist and former actress.

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    Anil and Tina Ambani at the wedding reception of Akash Ambani.
    Anil Ambani, with a net worth $1.7 billion, often makes headlines, though sometimes not for the correct reasons. From being the other Ambani often overshadowed by big brother Mukesh to being in the news for the publicised bitter split of Reliance, the Rafale deal or 2G scam, Ambani Jr - who turns 60 today - has been a newsmaker.
    The chairman of Reliance group recently reconciled with his big brother - and despite the professional turbulence he has been caught in the middle of - everything seems to be back on good terms on the personal level. But it wasn't always this way. Even before the once-close brothers fell out, Ambani Jr. had faced family resistance - on the topic of marriage.

    It all began when Anil, who completed his MBA from Wharton in 1983, saw then-actress Tina Munim for the first time. It was at a wedding, and Ambani has often said that it was her choice of colour of attire that had caught his attention. The 'Karz' actress was dressed in a black saree, not a common sight at Indian weddings. But it was only later in Philadelphia that the two were introduced to each other through mutual friends. But the then-star Munim not swayed by the famous last name, turned down Anil.
    ​Anil Ambani and wife Tina at Dev Anand's birthday bash in Mumbai on September 27, 2007​.
    Anil Ambani and wife Tina at Dev Anand's birthday bash in Mumbai on September 27, 2007.

    But destiny had other plans, and in 1986, the two met again. And then there was no looking back. But the future wasn't easy, and Anil faced resistance at home due to Munim's career path. Unable to convince his family, the two parted ways with the 'Rocky' actress leaving for America.
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    File photo: Dhirubhai Ambani with sons Anil and Mukesh on February 26, 1992.

    Four years passed without the now-Mr. and Mrs. Ambani speaking to each other. They revealed in a later interview that during that period, Anil only called her once after an earthquake hit Los Angeles in 1989.

    But back home, he continued to persuade his family to agree to their union, and once they did, he called her up and asked her to come back.

    The couple, who tied the knot at a lavish ceremony in February 1991, went on to become parents to two sons Jai Anmol and Anshul.
    ​Anil Ambani with wife Tina and sons Jai Anmol and Jai Anshul at Akash Ambani's wedding. ​
    Anil Ambani with wife Tina and sons Jai Anmol and Jai Anshul at Akash Ambani's wedding.

    Three decades on, they still remain happily married.


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