3 min readKochiUpdated: May 5, 2026 05:50 AM IST
Met Gala 2026 Indian celebrities: A year after his close friend and Bollywood’s Baadshah Shah Rukh Khan took the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the entire internet by storm with his iconic debut at the annual Met Gala, director-producer Karan Johar made heads turn at the event in a Manish Malhotra creation. Widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious and glamorous fashion event, the Met Gala 2026 featured the theme “Fashion is Art.”
Karan Johar walked the red carpet in a Manish Malhotra ensemble, inspired by the art of Raja Ravi Varma. He wore a sharply tailored black sherwani layered with a dramatic, floor-length cape. The cape is richly detailed with ornate gold embroidery and features vivid, painting-like panels inspired by Raja Ravi Varma, depicting classical Indian figures, palace scenes, and cultural motifs. The look balances regal opulence with contemporary flair, elevated further by his signature styling, tinted sunglasses and bold rings, giving the heritage-inspired outfit a distinctly modern, cinematic edge.
The filmmaker took to Instagram to share his look for the Met Gala 2026 and wrote, “Framed In Eternity. Inspired by the art of Raja Ravi Varma. Raja Ravi Varma felt right because his work does something I’ve always tried to do in cinema. He painted feelings. And who better than my oldest partner in crime & fashion to help me bring this to life other than Manish Malhotra. To bring our Indian culture to the global stage with the vision of couture and gratitude woven together, is an art form in itself which he has mastered. You made me feel like a canvas for your art, thank you!”
Don’t Miss | Met Gala 2026: Theme, who’s attending, when and where to watch, and why it’s facing boycott calls
In a conversation with Eyewitness News Morning, celebrity designer Manish Malhotra had recently confirmed Karan’s Met Gala attendance this time. Opening up about his Met Gala debut last year, he said, “Last year was my first time, and it was an incredible experience — walking the red carpet and designing for Coco Jones and Natasha Poonawalla. This year, I’ll be designing for a very prominent director known for both his films and fashion — Karan Johar. He’s a close friend, and I’m excited to see what we bring to the red carpet. We also did some jewellery detailing for Rihanna last time, and there’s much more to come.”
Met Gala 2026 guests
This edition of the Met Gala also featured the who’s who of global show business. From The Devil Wears Prada stars Anne Hathaway to Margot Robbie, Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney, several celebs walked the red carpet this time too.
Models Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kylie Jenner, and Naomi Campbell also graced the red carpet.
While Priyanka Chopra, a regular at the Met Gala, gave this year’s edition a miss, Indian celebrities like Isha Ambani, Ananya Birla attended the event.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source indianexpress.com ’
