Karan Johar makes Met Gala debut in Manish Malhotra outfit inspired by Raja Ravi Varma’s art

Filmmaker Karan Johar debuted at Met Gala in a Manish Malhotra creation inspired by Raja Ravi Varma. The handcrafted outfit paid tribute to Indian art, blending personal storytelling with global fashion

Mumbai: Filmmaker Karan Johar made his Met Gala debut in a bespoke outfit by friend and celebrated designer Manish Malhotra that draws inspiration from the art works of renowned Indian painter, Raja Ravi Varma.

The outfit, ‘Framed in Eternity’, features Johar in a power-shouldered vintage jacket over hand-painted cape-approximately six feet in length. It took 80 plus artisans some 85 days to create the piece that has been painted by hand.

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Johar, 53, chose a multi-gemstone necklace and rings from his jewellery brand Tyaani to complete the look.

This year the theme of Met Gala is “Costume Art” with the dress code being called “Fashion is Art”. The annual event in New York, considered one of the biggest nights in the world of fashion, is co-chaired by Beyonce, Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman and Anna Wintour.

Johar’s outfit draws its visual language directly from the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, including the Lady with the Peach, Hamsa Damayanti, Kadambari, Arjuna and Subhadra, and There Comes Papa.

“I didn’t want to arrive here trying to explain India. I wanted to arrive feeling like myself and that automatically brings everything I come from with it,” the filmmaker shared in a statement.

Johar said he has always been a fan of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings.

“For me, it had to feel personal and the moment it felt personal, it became Indian, because that’s where everything I know comes from. Every story I’ve told, every film I’ve made, every emotion I’ve tried to put on screen has come from this place. Raja Ravi Varma felt right because his work does something I’ve always tried to do in cinema. Ravi Varma painted feelings.” According to Johar, Met Gala felt like the right place to pay his tribute to the iconic Indian painter.

“This look is my way of wearing that inheritance and I think that’s the most honest thing I could have done for my first Met. To arrive not with a concept, but with a feeling I’ve carried my whole life and finally found the right form for.” One of India’s most celebrated names in filmmaking with titles such as “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”, “My Name is Khan” and “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani”, Johar has become the first director to represent India at the event that has seen the presence of celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the past.

The Dharma Productions head most recently produced Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound” with co-owner Adar Poonawalla. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2025.

Johar’s Met Gala look was developed with stylist Eka Lakhani in collaboration with Malhotra, who has often dressed the filmmaker and his many stars in films and outside of it.

“With Manish, there’s no translation needed. We’ve worked together for so long that there’s an instinct there. I knew if I was doing this, it had to be with him,” Johar said.