Bollywood at the Met Gala: what Priyanka Chopra, Isha Ambani, Deepika Padukone and more Indian celebrities wore to New York’s hottest red carpet over the years

Dec 17 , 2020

Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Isha Ambani and Natasha Poonawalla at the Met Gala 2019 – who had the best look? Photos: @priyankachopra; @themetgala2019; @prabalgurung; @myfashionlady/Twitter

Everyone who’s anyone knows of the Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art annual fundraising ball. The star-studded New York bash sees celebrities jostling to outdo each other on the red carpet, each trotting out looks that are more OTT than the last.

Attending the VIP event sets you back upwards of US$30,000 per seat or US$200,000 to US$300,000 per table; last year’s gala raised a whopping US$15 million – US$3 million more than the year before. Of course, Anna Wintour – Vogue editor and chairwoman of the event – and certain brands have their own guest lists, inviting designers who can enjoy the performances and charity auction without splashing out on the hefty price tag.

But money is no object for most attendees; Bollywood’s leading ladies have even been known to travel halfway across the world for a single night.

Unfortunately, the Met Gala – like many other events – was cancelled this year due to Covid-19. But had the ball gone on as usual, here are four Indian stars who would definitely have received an invite.

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Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas attending the Met Gala in 2017. Photo: Invision/AP

Priyanka Chopra was one of the first prominent Bollywood stars to hit the red carpet of the fundraising benefit in 2017. Her custom-made Ralph Lauren overcoat gown with extended train made her the subject of endless memes, much to her amusement. (She reposted them herself for her millions of Instagram followers to peruse.)

Chopra arrived at the event in a bus matching her oversized ensemble, with both fit that year’s theme of “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between”.

Accompanying her was Nick Jonas, also suited up in Ralph Lauren. Rumours immediately sprang up about the potential budding romance, and although they weren’t officially a couple at the time, they married just a year later.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas at the Met Gala in 2019 in outfits fitting that year’s “camp” theme. Photo: Reuters

Deepika Padukone

But Chopra wasn’t the only Indian star to attend the Met Gala in 2017 – so did Deepika Padukone. Another Bollywood actress who broke into Hollywood – she starred in Vin Diesel’s XXX: Return of Xander Cage, also in 2017 – Padukone rocked a white Tommy Hilfiger gown accessorised with diamonds galore. But although she looked stunning, the press was underwhelmed by the relative safety of her ensemble – especially compared to some of the other guests’ weird, wild outfits. Fortunately, she bounced back in 2019 when she swept up to the event in a custom pink Zac Posen gown embellished with 400 pieces of embroidery.

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Isha Ambani

The only daughter of billionaires Mukesh and Nita Ambani, the Yale and Stanford alum is no stranger to New York’s glamorous soirées. For her first appearance on the Met Gala red carpet in 2017 – then aged 25 – Isha donned a couture dress from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first haute couture collection for Christian Dior.

Last year, she tapped Prabal Gurung to design her look for the gala – a lilac vision with a plunging neckline. Gurung posted on social media, “We worked with the graceful and joyous Isha Ambani on her Atelier creation for months. With three fittings in Mumbai and a final Atelier appointment in NYC, we enveloped her dress with over 350 hours of laborious love to bring our shared vision to life.”

Natasha Poonawalla

The businesswoman, philanthropist and mother of two made two appearances at the Met Gala, donning a graffiti-inspired strapless gown in 2018 and a custom, crystal embellished Peter Dundas number in 2019. A regular on the fashion scene, Poonawalla is known to fill her Instagram with her favourite designer and haute couture looks.

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Asian cinema: Bollywood

Isha Ambani donned Dior couture, Deepika Padukone looked angelic in a white Tommy Hilfiger gown and Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas arrived in matching Ralph Lauren looks – but who was best dressed?