Karan Johar makes Met Gala debut in Manish Malhotra ensemble inspired by Raja Ravi Varma's timeless art

New York City: Filmmaker Karan Johar knows best how to leave a mark not only with films but also with fashion. In a career spanning almost three decades, Karan, the son of the late director Yash Johar, has created several cinematic gems that continue to captivate audiences.

His films are celebrated for their compelling storytelling, opulent sets, memorable performances, and, importantly, iconic costume design.

From Shah Rukh Khan's effortlessly cool T-shirts in his directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to Rani Mukerji's elegant chiffon sarees in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, his keen eye for fashion has always been evident.

Notably, beyond the screen, Karan's personal style, especially in recent years, has drawn significant attention. And now, on Monday night, he captured the attention of fashion enthusiasts worldwide as he made a striking debut at the Met Gala in an ensemble destined to be remembered for years to come.

Karan brought to life his interpretation of the "Costume Art" theme--and the dress code of "fashion is art" in a Manish Malhotra creation.

The ensemble, designed by Manish Malhotra, draws its visual language directly from the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, interpreting the master's iconic command of drape, light, and ornament through contemporary couture.

The silhouette is rooted in classical Indian drapery, restructured with a precision that allows fabric to move with the body without losing its sculptural authority.

The garment draws from some of Varma's most iconic works, among them - Hamsa Damayanti, Kadambari, Arjuna and Subhadra, and There Comes Papa - each painting selected not for spectacle, but for the quiet emotional truth it carries.

What sets the look apart is its surface: hand-painted detailing executed in gold by traditional artisans, applied directly onto the garment as a painter would work on canvas.

The strokes are deliberate, luminous, and irreducible bringing the intimacy of a Ravi Varma portrait into the architecture of a garment. The result is a piece that is neither costume nor conventional couture, but something in between: an image that carries history in its construction and lives differently once worn.

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On making his Met Gala debut, Karan expressed, "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."

He added, "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. The way a sari falls, the way a figure holds itself, the light on a face that is somehow both divine and completely human. I've grown up with those images without always knowing it. They live in you before you can name them."

As per Karan, this look is his 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,' he emphasised.

The look has been developed with stylist Eka Lakhani in collaboration with Manish Malhotra, a natural and longstanding creative partner. Their association spans decades of cinema, where clothing has always played a role far beyond styling, shaping character, mood, and memory. That shared history allows for an ease in process, where ideas don't need to be over-articulated to be understood.

"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," Karan said.

Notably, Karan has become India's first filmmaker to attend the prestigious Met Gala. Besides Karan, India's Isha Ambani, Manish Malhotra, and Ananya Birla also marked their presence at fashion's biggest night in Hollywood. (ANI)