Meet Vikram Salgaocar, Dhirubhai Ambani’s favourite grandson whose wedding drew national attention

When the Ambani family gathers in public, it tends to command attention far beyond the event itself. That dynamic was on display in Mumbai this week, when Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani and Kokilaben Ambani were among those present at the wedding of Vikram Salgaocar.

Held at the Ambani-owned Jio World Convention Centre, the ceremony brought into focus a member of the extended Ambani family who has largely remained outside public glare despite his lineage and business credentials.

So who is Vikram Salgaocar, and why does his name surface so rarely compared to other heirs of India’s most prominent business family?

Within the family, Vikram’s position carries emotional significance. In her memoir, Dhirubhai Ambani: The Man I Knew, Kokilaben Ambani describes the joy surrounding the birth of her first grandchild, recalling how Dhirubhai reacted on Gujarati New Year’s Day when Vikram was born. “I still remember Dhirubhai’s face as he held Vikram, a sleepy little bundle, and the most precious New Year’s gift we have ever received,” she wrote.

She added that the Reliance founder was overwhelmed by the moment. “Dhirubhai was beside himself with joy, as excited as a little child who had finally been given something for which he had always yearned,” Kokilaben noted in the book.

That closeness is echoed in a chapter contributed by Vikram’s father, Dattaraj Salgaocar, to the same memoir. He wrote that Dhirubhai took an active interest in Vikram’s intellectual development, sharing reading material and news clippings, while remaining mindful of family balance. “Believing that a person learns tremendously from exposure and reading, he [Dhirubhai] used to flood Vikram with faxes and newspaper clippings. But while he made no secret of the fact that Vikram was his favourite, he was sensitive to my daughter Isheta, and made sure he gave her lots of love and attention too,” Dattaraj wrote.

He began his career in 2007 as an associate at McKinsey & Company, before moving to Reliance Entertainment as a business development manager. Over time, his focus shifted towards the Salgaocar family’s own ventures.

Vikram is currently a director at V M Salgaocar Hotels and Resorts, signalling an emphasis on hospitality and leisure alongside the group’s traditional industrial interests. He is understood to split his time between India and the United States.

Vikram has one sister, Isheta Salgaocar, and the family is known for maintaining a low public profile, with appearances largely limited to significant personal occasions.

Salgaocar arrived for the procession in a white Rolls-Royce, a visual that quickly circulated online, underscoring how even rare public moments involving the extended Ambani family draw outsized attention.