Raining rupees or social media hyperbole? Family debunks viral claims of Rs 8.5 crore cash shower at Punjab wedding

New Delhi: On Valentine’s Day, a wedding in Tarn Taran, Punjab, became the focal point of an online firestorm after a video surfaced showing an extraordinary “money rain” ceremony. The footage, which spread like wildfire across social platforms, depicted a bride standing amid a torrential shower of currency notes as guests danced atop a floor literally paved with cash.

While the tradition of showering money is a common celebratory gesture in Punjabi culture, some online reports sensationally claimed that a staggering Rs 8.5 crore ($1 million) was tossed into the air, labelling the event a “grand cash party” of unprecedented scale.

However, the family at the centre of the controversy is now setting the record straight, insisting that the digital rumours are a massive exaggeration of reality. Sikander Singh, the brother of the groom, clarified that while the family did indeed celebrate with a traditional money shower, the actual amount involved was a mere fraction of the rumoured total. According to Singh, the family showered approximately Rs 2 lakh, and he expressed frustration over how social media users inflated the figure into the crores.

“My brother runs a truck business in Australia. The marriage was on February 14. We celebrated by showering money, but it was around Rs 2 lakh. Social media exaggerated it into crores, which is wrong,” he said.

This sentiment was echoed by the event’s DJ and management team, who provided a slightly different but still vastly lower estimate than the viral claims. According to the vendors, the total cash distributed during the performance was closer to Rs 4 lakh, noting that the “rain” included a mix of Indian rupees and some foreign dollar notes. The event managers expressed confusion over how the Rs 8.5 crore figure originated, suggesting it was a product of internet speculation rather than a financial fact.

Despite the family’s attempts to douse the rumours with these clarifications, the video continues to polarise viewers. While many see the act as a vibrant expression of Punjabi celebratory spirit and tradition, others have used the viral moment to criticise what they perceive as a display of excessive and ostentatious wealth.