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Monday’s
Met Gala
was
historic
There were several factors at play. One significant aspect was the all-Black group of co-chairs and hosts. Additionally, the event highlighted the upcoming 2025 costume exhibition, which centered around Black dandyism and garnered considerable attention.
It was an incredible evening, with numerous celebrities from across the entertainment sector making an appearance. The event, as usual, was organized and emceed by the esteemed editor-in-chief of Vogue.
Anna Wintour
.
One notable star making an entrance for the first time at the Met Gala this year was none other than the King of Bollywood himself:
Shah Rukh Khan
However, instead of being celebrated as a historical milestone, this incident has sparked extensive debate online about allegations of how he was treated during the event.
To fully clarify what happened, let me provide some background. Even though he has never starred in a Hollywood film and limited his red-carpet events in the U.S. throughout his three-decade-long career, Shah Rukh Khan remains an incredibly busy actor. Just so you know, when I mention that this person is significant, I’m emphasizing just how major of a figure he really is.
a biiiiiiig deal
.
The Met Gala stands out as the premier celebrity event of the year. However, beyond Eastern Europe, Shah Rukh—commonly referred to as SRK—is likely more recognizable than the Met itself. As the most celebrated actor hailing from India, and possibly all of South Asia, he boasts an impressive filmography spanning over 100 movies. His performances have been dubbed into virtually every major world language. Describing SRK’s impact accurately proves challenging due to its sheer scale.
Forbes
put it succinctly in 2015 when they calculated that he was the most prominent movie star globally.
Although a lot of time has passed since that point, SRK’s present day image has shifted from global superstar to a film legend. If you’ve seen any Bollywood movie, you’ll likely know his face. And leading one of the biggest movie industries in the world means he is very famous.
Have you grasped the situation? Now, envision the fear sweeping across the South Asian community following Monday, when SRK went to the Met Gala and a well-intentioned reporter
asked him his name
. The very idea!
In all seriousness, Vogue and the two hosts of the Met,
Teyana Taylor
and
Ego Nwodim
, has faced significant online attention since Monday, following
a clip
Of the interviews featuring Shah Rukh Khan and fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee (a fellow icon, I might add), one became extremely popular simply due to this interaction.
so awkward
.
Although they weren’t trying to be disrespectful, both Ego and Teyana appeared somewhat unaware of whom they were addressing. Despite correctly pointing out that SRK was making history as the first male Indian actor to step onto the Met Gala’s red carpet, their subsequent comments have ignited considerable debate online ever since.
When questioned about attending the Met Gala, Shah Rukh expressed feeling “incredibly nervous” yet thrilled, crediting Sabyasachi for persuading him to go. He added, “Red carpets aren’t really my thing; I tend to be quite reserved.” To comfort him, Ego and Teyana noted that the carpet was actually blue rather than red, which they hoped would ease his anxiety. Playing into their jests, SRK quipped that he was “completely relaxed now.”
And as the conversation went on, it became clear that SRK was pretty heavily downplaying how much of a big deal it was that he was there, perhaps for the benefit of the interviewers. At that point, Sabyasachi himself chimed in and gave some much-needed info. After Shah Rukh described his look of the night, Sabyasachi jumped in, saying, “Just to give you a little bit of context, Shah Rukh Khan is probably one of the most famous men in the world,” before Ego and Teyana both looked pretty surprised.
“His fan following is legendary,” Sabyasachi continued. “We nearly had a stampede outside of the hotel when he came out. And when you get a man like this on the red carpet, especially when it’s Black dandy, I think representation is the most important thing, and we wanted to represent Shah Rukh Khan as Shah Rukh Khan and nobody else.”
Another user
highlighted the contrast between Shah Rukh’s experiences in the U.S. as opposed to
one interview
Of the interviews he gave in London, one stood out where journalists highlighted that at some point, he earned more than both Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp. “I understand it might be distasteful to discuss finances, but it certainly is quite impressive,” remarked one of the newscasters. The other chimed in agreeing, adding, “It’s crucial for everyone to recognize just how significant your status is.”
After Monday, the
New York Times
reached out to Vogue regarding the controversy surrounding Shah Rukh’s interview.
Vogue responded
, noting that Ego emphasized that Shah Rukh was indeed the first male Bollywood actor to attend the Met. So, I suppose, that covers their perspective.
Vogue also responded
to
criticism
about the treatment of another South Asian guest in attendance at the Met, Diljit Dosanjh: another Bollywood superstar who you might have seen in his gorgeous turban and jewels on the carpet. Fans were upset that Diljit, who has sold out stadiums in North America, didn’t even get an interview with Vogue as many other guests did, and only had the focus of the livestream camera for about three or four seconds. The rep for Vogue said that the camera panning away from Diljit so quickly was “certainly not intentional.”
And the whole thing has the South Asian community up in arms.
One creator
expressed disappointment with Vogue’s response, demanding an “apology, not a justification.”
Another commenter
suggested that “it’s ok Americans don’t know who SRK is, what’s not ok is the interviewers not doing their research on him.”
Nevertheless, SRK has mentioned that his experiences in the United States are quite different compared to the rest of the globe.
In 2012, when delivering a speech at Yale,
He once remarked, “Every time I begin to feel overly proud of myself, I always decide to visit the U.S.”
I really hope he doesn’t return, what the heck,
One TikTok creator stated firmly.
And should he do so, and if you weren’t aware, take the time to become familiar with him.
