In 2018, Beyonce performed her hit numbers at the pre-wedding festivities of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal in Udaipur. In 2015, Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Scherzinger were among the stars at the Sanjay Hinduja wedding. While global superstars like Bey and Jennifer are inaccessible for most, international celebs like French Montana, Enrique, DJ Snake are all in demand to perform at Indian weddings. And the price tags for these appearances are in multi-crore.

A source informs, “While Beyonce is not someone whom just anyone can request for a wedding performance, there is indeed a huge demand for international performers in Indian weddings – from Enrique to DJ Snake. This year, a few international performers who have concerts in India might do wedding gigs too, and the demand is huge.”

Industry insiders say that among Bollywood celebs, Ranveer Singh and Nora Fatehi are the most in demand for weddings. “Ranveer Singh is the most sought-after A-lister. People just love him. Whenever he comes for weddings, he never says no to his fans’ requests. Usually, celebs have conditions that he/she will not click more than five-six pictures,” a source says.

A wedding organizer says, “For two years, people didn’t spend money on lavish weddings, hence many weddings this year have a stellar line-up of stars. In some cases, it is the bride and groom who decide the celeb for their wedding while in other cases it’s the family. Kabhi papaji ko Nora Fatehi ki performance karani hai toh kabhi bhai ko Mouni Roy ke saath photo karani hai. Problems arise when either the couple or their parents have their heart set on a particular celebrity, who is unavailable. Nora Fatehi is in demand at most affluent weddings this year, and hence her dates are difficult to get.”

An industry insider tells us, “With A-listers, it’s not just about the price anymore, because too many people are ready to pay any amount. There are about 20 celebs who are most in demand, so getting them to agree to perform is difficult. You might want a celeb at your wedding, but does he want you is the question. For stars like Shah Rukh Khan, they won’t attend an event unless they know you personally or they are approached via someone they know. There is no price tag on their appearances. Two singers for whom people are ready to pay any price but they are not giving dates are A P Dhillon and Diljit Dosanjh.”

Apart from the flat fee that the celebrity charges, big stars also need private planes, as well as five-star accommodation for themselves and their team, and a professional stage and sound set-up. A source says, “The bigger the celeb, the longer the checklist. The charges are different depending on what the celeb is being asked to do – wedding appearances, which includes getting pictures clicked with the bride and groom and family on the stage, then there are performances and then hosting.”

A wedding organizer shares, “Mostly celebs are invited for the sangeet or other pre-wedding events. However, couples often say that even though they are getting a celeb, the spotlight should be on them. Now that is really difficult. Aap kuch bhi kar lo, celebrity toh celebrity rahega.”