Met Gala 2025: Shah Rukh Khan confesses he only attended to impress his kids: ‘This might also be my last Met Gala..’
SRK may be late to the Met Gala party, but trust him to make a sentimental debut. At 59, the icon walked the red carpet not for the couture but for his kids
The 2025 Met Gala was nothing short of a spectacle, but among all the glitz and avant-garde drama, one Bollywood appearance stood out not for shock value, but for sheer heart as Shah Rukh Khan, the undisputed King of Bollywood, made his long-awaited Met Gala debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. At 59, SRK walked the famed steps for the first time, and with a very unexpected reason behind it. “I have little kids who are very excited about the Met,” he said with a grin on the red carpet. “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’.”
SRK in custom Sabyasachi
Styled by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, SRK’s look wasn’t a flamboyant fashion experiment but something far better: a masterclass in what makes SRK himself, through timeless tailoring. In accordance with the theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, the actor wore a custom floor-length coat in Tasmanian superfine wool, adorned with Japanese horn buttons, wide lapels and a peak collar. The ensemble was layered over a black crepe de chine silk shirt and sharply tailored trousers, finished with a pleated satin kamarbandh. In true SRK fashion, the look was elevated with subtle flair: a stack of jewellery and a Bengal Tiger Head Cane crafted in 18k gold, tourmalines, sapphires, and diamonds — a nod to Sabyasachi’s Bengal roots and design legacy.
But don’t expect King Khan to get carried away with the fashion talk. “The only thing he said was, ‘I don’t want to wear shoulder pads that make me look like an airplane,’” Sabya quipped to the New York Times. “He dresses simply and we respected that,” the designer added. SRK himself summed it up best: “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.”
A reluctant icon
While most plot Met appearances with military precision, SRK’s presence was refreshingly spontaneous, more about family love than fashion headlines. His humility shone brighter than any accessory. “It’s a bit rapper,” he joked about the gold detailing. “This might also be my last Met Gala.” And that’s exactly why his debut felt so special. No theatrics. No over-the-top performance. Just SRK doing what he does best — being completely himself. In a night defined by tailoring, legacy, and personal storytelling, Shah Rukh Khan’s quiet confidence felt like the real headline.
As Indian fashion takes its rightful place on the global stage — with Kiara Advani, Diljit Dosanjh, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Isha Ambani all in attendance — it’s fitting that one of India’s most beloved stars showed up not just as a style icon, but as a dad in love with his family.
