Shah Rukh Khan poses while getting ready for the 2025 Met Gala in New York City on May 5. Credit – Courtesy of David Reiner
The feeling, or maybe it’s a frenzy, that Shah Rukh Khan inspires can’t be tamed by borders or time. His smoldering gaze, that hair toss, and those dance moves have enthralled audiences for more than 30 years, from the romantic comedies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge that defined 1990s Bollywood and made him a global superstar to the blockbuster action thrillers of the 2020s that have smashed box office records.
As Khan’s influence skyrocketed in the ‘90s, especially among Indians and other South Asians who left their home countries for opportunities abroad, an emotional bond formed between him and audiences around the globe that shapes him to this day. He knows the feelings his characters evoke transcend the screen, recalling meeting a German fan who watched his movies and told him, “You are a button for emotions.”
“It’s not just simple entertainment. I’m a memory from home, though I’m not a memory,” Khan tells TIME. “The diaspora made me the star I am.”
This week, Khan took another step on the global stage at the 2025 Met Gala, becoming the first male actor from India to attend the event. Khan wore a silk black sherwani-style jacket over black trousers, with a smattering of necklaces covering his chest, including a large diamond letter K, standing for King Khan. He was dressed by Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who designed the flowery couture sari Alia Bhatt wore to last year’s Met Gala. Other global superstars included Bad Bunny, Priyanka Chopra, and Lisa from BLACKPINK and The White Lotus. A political supercharge is running through this year’s event: As the Trump Administration continues its mission to curb efforts aimed at promoting diversity and equity across industries, including authorizing a 100% tariff on foreign-made films on Sunday, stars from all over the world are honoring the rich and revolutionary history of Black male style and how it has shaped fashion as they arrive on the red (well, blue) carpet.
Read more: The History Behind the Met Gala
“It’s important to represent my countrymen and people. India is taking a stand in a lot of things and it’s important to have our presence felt,” Khan said, adding that he admired this year’s Met Gala theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. “I liked what it stood for—the concept of revolution and resolution, not through anger or fighting, but by being exuberant and artistic. Dressing up in a way that made a statement.”
At 59, and several decades into his career in a constantly changing industry, Khan’s next moves involve generational legacy. His next movie, King, will see him star alongside his daughter Suhana Khan; his son, Aryan Khan, is directing a series coming to Netflix later this year, under Khan’s company, Red Chillies Entertainment. When Khan started out, he was a newcomer in Mumbai from New Delhi. “I just acted and I didn’t have anything to lose. Maybe that’s why I was so cocky and overconfident and silly at times.” For his children, it is a much different landscape, paved with privilege which in turn invites scrutiny. Khan acknowledges that having him as a dad does help: “The privilege part should make them humbler that they have this background. There will always be a shadow,” he says. “But this path is very difficult. The shadow of somebody looming over you should not be a consideration for liking or disliking them.”
After shaping Indian cinema for years, Khan is looking toward the future of film beyond King and his own role in the art form. He embraces the use of advanced technology to make movies feel as real as possible, of going big with stories using the tools we already have. “Everything now is cleaner, louder, better. The lights are better. The watches are cooler. Why not films also? They have to get bigger,” he says. “Stories have to be honest but the way they are shown, they will have to become more interesting. I watch most stuff on my telephone here. Why should I go to the theater? It has to be an experience. It has to be Disney World.”
No one knows better what it means to bring the fullness and duality of the star experience to the world. Whether he’s in an epic onscreen or stepping out at a global fashion event or dancing in a world concert tour, Khan is motivated by the same energy that brought him to Mumbai all those years ago. “I need to feel like I was at 26 and act like I feel at 60.”
Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.
