Why This Influencer Refused Over Rs 3 Lakh To Attend Ambani-Merchant Wedding

After so many pre-wedding events and celebrations, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant finally got married earlier this month. The wedding quite literally took over the country, with celebrities flying in from all over the world and much of Mumbai being shut down because of the event. The wedding was covered and is still being covered, by the media and social platforms extensively. However, influencer Kavya Karnatac refused the Ambani family's offer of 3.6 lakhs to do PR for the wedding, here's what she said.

Kavya Karnatac Refused Over Rs 3 Lakh To Attend Ambani-Merchant Wedding

In a post on LinkedIn last week, Karnatac described her personal decision of why she did not want to promote the Ambani wedding despite the generous offer. She was asked to discuss how the Ambani wedding would boost the Indian economy but refused as it went against her ideals and ethics. She listed the reasons for her decision. 

She wrote that covering the wedding would make her part of the same overwhelming narrative as a host of countless other influencers. She wanted to maintain the originality of her content and the brand she was known for and did not want to compromise her brand's uniqueness. 

She also said that it felt insincere to promote the Ambani wedding at a time when Jio internet charges are at an all-time high, and she would just be feeding corporate greed. Karnatac stated that her audience's trust is important to her and she did not want to lose her genuineness over dishonest content, as her audience could differentiate between paid promotions and original content. 

The Ambani wedding's ethical connotations

Karnatac stated the ethical dilemma that she faced while making her decision. In a country like India where there is still so much discussion and stigma about the caste, class, gender, and religious aspects of marriage, covering a ''high-profile wedding'' that follows all the stereotypes and norms of marital purity did not feel right to her. She said that as an educator, it could be factually incorrect to say that the Ambani wedding would boost the Indian economy as that may not be the case, and she did not want to mislead her audience.

"The long-term benefits of maintaining my integrity far outweigh the short-term financial gain,'' she wrote.

It is not easy to stand up for what you believe in, especially in a society where capitalism and money are king. Karnatac has certainly given us a lot to think about away from the mainstream and blind coverage of the Ambani wedding.

Karnatac has a following of 1.6 million on Instagram and considers herself to be an educator who informs and makes her audience aware of the culture and current situations of India.