Within hours, Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s undisputed ‘Badshah’, will make his highly anticipated Met Gala 2025 debut at the world’s most elite fashion event, held every year at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Shah Rukh becomes the first Indian male actor to tread the legendary Met steps with his presence, adding another feather to his already illustrious cap.
Accompanying Shah Rukh on the red carpet will be Punjabi pop star Diljit Dosanjh and Bollywood actress Kiara Advani. Priyanka Chopra-Jonas will also make a comeback after giving last year’s event a miss, after her show-stopping 2023 look in Valentino couture.
All Eyes on SRK: What Will He Wear?
Fans and fashionistas are buzzing with gossip about what Shah Rukh Khan will wear to interpret this year’s dress code — “Tailored for You.” The theme is related to the Costume Institute’s new show, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which celebrates Black dandyism and fashion as a means of self-expression.
There are rumors that renowned Indian designer Sabyasachi will be clothing Shah Rukh for the ceremony. Encouraging the speculation, the designer recently shared a mysterious black screen on Instagram with the caption “King Khan” and “King Khan Bengal Tiger.” Shah Rukh’s manager, Pooja Dadlani, replicated the message on her X page, further suggesting the designer collaboration.
— Pooja Dadlani (@pooja_dadlani) May 4, 2025
This has prompted fans to expect a majestic ensemble, perhaps a mix of Indian traditional attire and western cuts. Some anticipate Shah Rukh in a royal dhoti-kurta outfit complemented by Sabyasachi’s signature accessories, especially the extravagant Bengal Tiger bracelet — an 18-carat gold handpiece that features 30.32 carats of rubellite, more than 138 carats of tourmalines, rubies, rhodolites, garnet, and diamonds.
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Diljit Dosanjh Preps for His Met Gala Moment
Diljit Dosanjh, the charismatic performer and international musical figure, confirmed his Met Gala entrance in a light-hearted Instagram clip in which he unwrapped the invitation. The Punjabi icon is said to appear wearing an outfit by fashion designer Prabal Gurung. Gurung had famously attired Alia Bhatt in a pearl-encrusted gown during the 2023 Met Gala.
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Dosanjh’s followers can’t wait to watch him incorporate his signature flair with the Met’s intricate fashion requirements.
Breaking Down the Theme: “Tailored for You”
This year’s Met Gala theme, “Tailored for You,” is inspired by the show “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” It delves into the cultural and political implications of clothing as it informs Black identities within the Atlantic diaspora.
As explained by the Met, the theme celebrates how fashion and tailoring have given Black people the power to resist societal norms. Monica L. Miller’s seminal book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, is the scholarly basis for the theme.
Miller, in her work, describes Black dandyism as “a strategy and a tool to rethink identity, to reimagine the self in a different context.” She continues, “To push a boundary — especially during the time of enslavement, to push a boundary on who and what counts as human, even.”
Historically, the trend began when rich slave owners dressed their slave labor in rich clothes to showcase riches. Over time, Black communities took over this style as a symbol of pride and resistance, making fashion a political gesture.
Individuals such as Julius Soubise, a freed slave who became an 18th-century London socialite, represent early Black dandyism. In contemporary times, figures such as André Leon Talley, Prince, and Pharrell Williams represent this aesthetic.
Fashion Meets Resistance: A Unifying Message at Met Gala
The Met Gala 2025 is a turning point, with its focus solely on menswear for the first time since the theme of 2003’s “Men in Skirts” was used. Its co-hosts — Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, and LeBron James — mirror the theme’s essence of unrestrained self-expression.
“They’re all men who are not afraid to experiment with their presentation of self,” said Andrew Bolton, curator in charge of the Costume Institute. “They use classic forms, but they also recombine them and deconstruct them in really new ways.”
Aria Hughes, Complex’s Editor-in-Chief, said, “We’re going to see a lot of suits, I think in all sizes, shapes, colours. I hope to see some archival pieces from Black designers, like a Patrick Kelly or a Willi Smith.”
India at the Met: A Cultural Celebration
To Indian audiences, Shah Rukh Khan’s cameo is a cultural landmark. The three of them, along with Kiara Advani and Diljit Dosanjh, also mark a new dawn of global exposure for Indian fashion and films.
Their participation also signals India’s growing influence in shaping global style conversations. Whether it’s through Sabyasachi’s luxurious Indian textiles or Prabal Gurung’s global runway finesse, the Met Gala 2025 promises to be a rich blend of culture, couture, and creativity.
As the rest of the world looks on with bated breath as the red carpet unwinds, Shah Rukh Khan — the Bollywood King — will be under the spotlight as he makes history in New York, one bespoke step at a time.
