4 min readMumbaiMay 13, 2026 08:15 PM IST
While it is indeed Cannes season now, just a few weeks ago the world was captivated by the glamorous appearances at the Met Gala. From India, it was Karan Johar who clearly stole the limelight in his debut appearance, becoming a prominent part of the discourse. Interestingly, last year it was his close friend, long-time collaborator, and superstar Shah Rukh Khan who made his debut at the Met.
Both their looks received a fair share of criticism as well as praise. Recently, fashion commentator and influencer Sufi Motiwala, who himself is set to make their debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, shared his exclusive take on both appearances with SCREEN. Discussing SRK’s look, Sufi offered no reservations, stating:
‘Missed opportunity and tacky’
“His all-black look at the Met felt like a missed opportunity to me. I felt like, obviously, as much as he feels comfortable in the color black and everything, there was a lot more that could have been done, even with an all-black look, because the category was tailoring at the end of the day. They could have created power shoulders, they could have created better pants, they could have given him a cape, anything to sort of make Shah Rukh Khan, the number one star of India, stand out. That was my biggest complaint. There could have been more.”
Speaking specifically about the ‘K’ necklace that SRK wore, Sufi added: “It honestly felt a bit tacky to me because I felt like, I mean, you’re Shah Rukh Khan. I think you have access to some of the best jewellery in the world. The fact that his jewellery collection felt like it could have been found at Bandra Hill Road also cheapened it a little bit, I felt.”
Shah Rukh Khan in his Met Gala outfit. (Credit: Instagram/@poojadadlani02)
‘Karan Johar nailed the theme’
However, Sufi praised for Karan Johar’s Raja Ravi Varma-inspired ensemble, saying: “His Met look, for me, was an absolute hundred on hundred, genuinely no notes, no critiques. I’ve been waiting for Karan Johar’s Met Gala debut for years because we’ve already seen so many Bollywood A-listers make their appearance there, and I always felt that, among the men, he was someone who would truly understand the assignment and deliver fashion. And the fact that he brought not just the drama but also completely nailed the theme made the entire appearance feel iconic to me.”
Karan Johar debuted at Met Gala 2026 in a Manish Malhotra creation. (Photo: Instagram/Karan Johar)
Debut appearance at the Cannes
In the same chat, Sufi also opened up about his debut appearance at Cannes and what they would be wearing: “One of the looks I’m doing is where we basically found this 40–50-year-old artisanal Indian fabric and converted it into a kimono. We wanted to create something that sits at the intersection of Indian and Western, right at that cusp between the two. That’s why we picked this sari-like textile and turned it into a Western-style jacket. Hope everyone likes it.”
Watch the full conversation with Sufi here:
Who is Sufi Motiwala?
Sufi Motiwala is an Indian fashion commentator, digital content creator, and reality television personality. Sufi rose to prominence through short-form videos offering direct and often provocative critiques of celebrity fashion, later gaining mainstream recognition as one of the youngest contestants on Prime Video’s reality series The Traitors.
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