On Monday night, Shah Rukh Khan shed all his characters to play himself for his first-ever Met Gala outing alongside India’s leading fashion designer, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, scripting history as the first Indian male actor to grace the biggest fashion night of the year. Keeping in line with this year’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” and official dress “Tailored for You,” the Bollywood superstar opted for a “floor-length elongated coat in Tasmanian superfine wool with monogrammed, Japanese horn buttons.” Further accentuating his style were classy accessories like the “Bengal Tiger Head Cane crafted in 18k gold with tourmalines, sapphires, old mine cut and brilliant cut diamonds.”
Wearing a minimal ‘K’ necklace as a nod to his royal stardom status in Bollywood as ‘King Khan,’ SRK humbly introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Shah Rukh,” when asked about himself on the blue carpet. The man who’s led one too many blockbusters in India admitted that dressing for the Met made him nervous like never before, confessing that he’s “actually very shy.”
According to a New York Times report, Khan even came clean about how him being “a jeans-and-T-shirt person” contradicted his 72-hour sojourn for the Met Gala. As was ultimately seen on the Met carpet, Sabyasachi’s custom-made design for the global superstar remained loyal to his personal minimal fashion aesthetic. Dressed in all-black, Shah Rukh Khan’s Murshidabad silk court jacket bore a striking resemblance to a Moghul-inspired sherwani. Joking about his clustered accessories for the gala, the Chak De India star said, “It’s a bit rapper.”
Why Shah Rukh Khan finally accepted the Met Gala fate
Despite the 59-year-old Bollywood icon’s history-making milestone in New York, he steered clear of any theatrics, making it all about family. Divulging that his first gala appearance might as well be his last, he shared in a separate interview at the New York venue that his children were the driving force behind his much-awaited Met acceptance. “I have little kids who are very excited about the Met,” he said the blue carpet interaction.
“I don’t know if I would have come here on my own, but when Sabya suggested it, they went ‘wow’. I still don’t know if that was ‘wow, they called you’ or ‘wow, you’ll be good on it.”
SHAH RUKH KHAN’S INTERVIEW AT THE #MetGala2025 #Shah pic.twitter.com/tAmjlabaaV
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His once-unprecedented, sudden decision to walk the Met steps was also influenced by a desire to shatter stereotypes associated with South Asian actors. First noting that the fashion industry is not really his world, SRK told NYT, “The West still sees and casts you as this exotic, the Peter Sellers ‘Birdie Num Num’ type.”
Explaining why the undisputed Bollywood King wore what he wore at the 2025 Met Gala, Sabyasachi shared, “The only thing he said was, ‘I don’t want to wear shoulder pads that make me look like an airplane.’ He dresses simply and we respected that.” SRK supported the claim, adding, “Tonight’s look is because I told Sabya I only wear black and white, but what he’s designed for me is what I’m most comfortable in. That’s how I think it should be.”
Not everyone may have been a fan of Shah Rukh’s gala outfit, but no one could deny that his aura played to his strengths, as always. Although American media even failed to recognise the self-proclaimed “Last of the Stars” — whose stardom is testament to his legacy, fans packed the street outside his hotel and braved NYC rains to catch a glimpse of their beloved actor.