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New York Times
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Live Updates: Bad Bunny, Zoe Saldaña and Other Stars Deliver on the ‘Superfine' Theme
Dressing for the Met 'I've never been nervous like this,'' Shah Rukh Khan said on the afternoon before the Met Gala, where on Monday evening the Indian superstar will make his first-ever red carpet appearance at what is generally considered the party of the year. 'I'm wondering if I can run away from this now,'' added a man whose onscreen derring-do is the stuff of cinematic legend; a multi-hyphenate whose many ventures have earned him a net worth estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars and a made him a figure greatly beloved of, and elevated to cult status by, generations of fans. 'I'm actually very shy,'' said Shah Rukh Khan, whose legions of devotees know him simply as SRK. The actor, in town from Mumbai, was seated on a sofa in a suite high above Manhattan. Far below was spread the pointillist green carpet of Central Park. Tapping a Terea tobacco stick into an heated induction device, Mr. Khan discreetly took a drag. After chain-smoking cigarettes for decades, he quit very publicly on his 59th birthday in 2024. His decision to stop, like nearly everything else he does, was covered in the South Asian press with the kind of attention typically devoted to matters of state. Image The Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is wearing a look by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, one of India's top designers. Credit... Amir Hamja for The New York Times The man behind the Shah Rukh Khan legend is surprisingly modest in person. This is true also in a physical sense. Slender and slight of build, Mr. Khan was dressed in a pair of Rick Owens cargo jeans, Rick Owens sneakers, a Hermès hoodie unzipped deeply enough to reveal his smooth and chiseled chest and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph watch. While Shah Rukh Khan is not, as he quickly noted, a fashion devotee, he spent one day of his 72-hour sojourn in New York for the Met Gala prowling the aisles at Saks and Bergdorf Goodman, hunting down 'the perfect pair' of jeans. 'I'm a jeans-and-T-shirt person,'' said Mr. Khan, whose first clothing purchase — made when he was still attending St. Columba's, a private boy's school in New Delhi — was a pair of five-pocket denims from a shop called Junction Jeans. Mr. Khan will be dressed in starkly simple fashion for the Met Gala by one of India's top designers, Sabyasachi Mukherjee. 'The only thing he said was, 'I don't want to wear shoulder pads that make me look like an airplane,''' said Mr. Mukherjee, whose designs are better known for their elaborate ornamentation than experimental silhouettes. For his very brief turn on the red carpet (he flies back to India to resume filming the night of the party), Mr. Khan will offer his own interpretation of the theme on an evening celebrating Black male style and dandyism, a quality celebrated for millenniums in India. 'He dresses simply and we respected that,'' said Mr. Mukherjee, who designed for the superstar a court jacket in Murshidabad silk resembling a Moghul-inspired sherwani, black trousers, and a black crepe de Chine shirt open to reveal a cluster of chains and jewels that include a large letter K in diamonds. He will also be carrying a walking stick with a jeweled tiger's head. Image 'It's a bit rapper,'' Mr. Khan said of the accessories he'll be sporting at the gala. Credit... Amir Hamja for The New York Times Image Mr. Khan will be carrying a walking stick with a jeweled tiger's head. Credit... Amir Hamja for The New York Times 'It's a bit rapper,'' Mr. Khan said of the bling, adding that this first-ever Met Gala red carpet might also be his last. 'I know so many people in the fashion industry, but it's really not my world,' he added, noting that his snap decision to accept Mr. Mukherjee's invitation to the gala was partly influenced by a desire to counter some of the more pernicious stereotypes about South Asian actors. 'The West still sees and casts you as this exotic, the Peter Sellers 'Birdie Num Num' type,' said Mr. Khan. It is probably worth noting that, despite his having nearly 50 million Instagram followers and a vast global fan base, he has yet to appear in a Hollywood film. 'I'm not being modest when I say I have no idea of the stardom I have,'' said Mr. Khan, referring to himself as 'an employee of the myth.'' That is not to suggest he is unaware of the potency a single red carpet snapshot of him walking this particular red carpet could have. 'While I'm acting all the time, it would be strange, or unacceptable, to play a role on the red carpet,'' said Mr. Khan, who is long past needing to promote anything or impersonate anyone. For this particular Monday night in May, then, Shah Rukh Khan plays himself.
New York Times
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Shah Rukh Khan, and His Jeweled Tiger's Head, Make Their Met Debut
'I've never been nervous like this,'' Shah Rukh Khan said on the afternoon before the Met Gala, where on Monday evening the Indian superstar will make his first-ever red carpet appearance at what is generally considered the party of the year. 'I'm wondering if I can run away from this now,'' added a man whose onscreen derring-do is the stuff of cinematic legend; a multi-hyphenate whose many ventures have earned him a net worth estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars and a made him a figure greatly beloved of, and elevated to cult status by, generations of fans. 'I'm actually very shy,'' said Shah Rukh Khan, whose legions of devotees know him simply as SRK. The actor, in town from Mumbai, was seated on a sofa in a suite high above Manhattan. Far below was spread the pointillist green carpet of Central Park. Tapping a Terea tobacco stick into an heated induction device, Mr. Khan discreetly took a drag. After chain-smoking cigarettes for decades, he quit very publicly on his 59th birthday in 2024. His decision to stop, like nearly everything else he does, was covered in the South Asian press with the kind of attention typically devoted to matters of state. The man behind the Shah Rukh Khan legend is surprisingly modest in person. This is true also in a physical sense. Slender and slight of build, Mr. Khan was dressed in a pair of Rick Owens cargo jeans, Rick Owens sneakers, a Rick Owens hoodie unzipped deeply enough to reveal his smooth and chiseled chest and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph watch. While Shah Rukh Khan is not, as he quickly noted, a fashion devotee, he spent one day of his 72-hour sojourn in New York for the Met Gala prowling the aisles at Saks and Bergdorf Goodman, hunting down 'the perfect pair' of jeans. 'I'm a jeans-and-T-shirt person,'' said Mr. Khan, whose first clothing purchase — made when he was still attending St. Columba's, a private boy's school in New Delhi — was a pair of five-pocket denims from a shop called Junction Jeans. Mr. Khan will be dressed in starkly simple fashion for the Met Gala by one of India's top designers, Sabyasachi Mukherjee. 'The only thing he said was, 'I don't want to wear shoulder pads that make me look like an airplane,''' said Mr. Mukherjee, whose designs are better known for their elaborate ornamentation than experimental silhouettes. For his very brief turn on the red carpet (he flies back to India to resume filming the night of the party), Mr. Khan will offer his own interpretation of the theme on an evening celebrating Black male style and dandyism, a quality celebrated for millenniums in India. 'He dresses simply and we respected that,'' said Mr. Mukherjee, who designed for the superstar a quilted court jacket in Murshidabad silk resembling a Moghul-inspired sherwani, black quilted trousers, and a black crepe de Chine shirt open to reveal a cluster of chains and jewels that include a large letter K in diamonds. He will also be carrying a walking stick with a jeweled tiger's head. 'It's a bit rapper,'' Mr. Khan said of the bling, adding that this first-ever Met Gala red carpet might also be his last. 'I know so many people in the fashion industry, but it's really not my world,' he added, noting that his snap decision to accept Mr. Mukherjee's invitation to the gala was partly influenced by a desire to counter some of the more pernicious stereotypes about South Asian actors. 'The West still sees and casts you as this exotic, the Peter Sellers 'Birdie Num Num' type,' said Mr. Khan. It is probably worth noting that, despite his having nearly 50 million Instagram followers and a vast global fan base, he has yet to appear in a Hollywood film. 'I'm not being modest when I say I have no idea of the stardom I have,'' said Mr. Khan, referring to himself as 'an employee of the myth.'' That is not to suggest he is unaware of the potency a single red carpet snapshot of him walking this particular red carpet could have. 'While I'm acting all the time, it would be strange, or unacceptable, to play a role on the red carpet,'' said Mr. Khan, who is long past needing to promote anything or impersonate anyone. For this particular Monday night in May, then, Shah Rukh Khan plays himself.
Korea Herald
10-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
‘Heat-not-burn': Philip Morris' smoke-free push takes shape at Korean plant
Asia's key production site banks on rising demand for IQOS devices at home and abroad YANGSANG, South Gyeongsang Province -- Nestled in the countryside of Yangsan in southern Korea lies a sprawling factory tinged with the scent of tobacco. It lingers in the air -- distinct, yet far less pungent than that of traditional cigarettes. Surprisingly high-tech and thus almost out of place in its rustic surroundings, the factory is redefining what it means to produce tobacco in the modern age, embodying a vision of a smoke-free future championed by its owner, Philip Morris Korea, the Korean arm of global tobacco giant Philip Morris International. At the center of its smoke-free initiative is IQOS, a tobacco-heating device that offers a greener, healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes. The tobacco sticks used in the device are produced for Asian consumers at the Korean plant. The Yangsan plant, PMI's only factory in East Asia among its 51 worldwide, has anchored the company's regional operations since 2002, with two-thirds of last year's output for domestic use and the rest exported to 12 Asia-Pacific countries. Tobacco sticks for IQOS now make up 60 percent of the factory's output, a share expected to increase as demand rises at home and abroad. In the fourth quarter of last year, PMI said smoke-free products made up about 40 percent of its global net sales. Production especially has gained momentum following new device launches and the rollout of device-specific tobacco units this year. In February, Philip Morris Korea launched the IQOS Iluma i series in Korea, its latest flagship device with features like puff optimization and a customizable pause mode for a better user experience. The new device lineup is compatible with two exclusive types of tobacco units: Terea and Sentia. Terea, available in 18 varieties, focuses on offering a wide range of flavors, while Sentia, with four options, is designed to deliver a taste profile similar to that of traditional cigarettes, thereby helping smokers transition to smoke-free alternatives. Philip Morris Korea began nationwide sales of Sentia in April. 'The facility isn't just a manufacturing site, but the heart of innovation in the heated tobacco products market,' said Zia Ahmed Karim, manufacturing director at Philip Morris Korea. 'The nationwide launch of Sentia marks another milestone in our journey and reflects our commitment to enhancing global competitiveness through quality and technology.' The 70,000-square-meter plant maintains consistent product quality and has the capacity to produce 40 billion cigarette units annually, including both IQOS sticks and conventional cigarettes. 'Virtually every step in the production of (IQOS) tobacco sticks is automated and managed by computerized systems capable of detecting even the slightest defects,' said a quality manager at the factory. The plant operates a dual-phase production process -- Primary and Secondary -- that mixes and processes tobacco sheets before assembling them into sticks with filters. Each step is subject to real-time quality checks, including aerosol analysis conducted in the plant's in-house laboratory. According to PMI-led laboratory tests, the aerosol produced by IQOS devices, on average, 95 percent lower levels of harmful and potentially harmful constituents compared to cigarette smoke. 'An advanced production capacity, coupled with cutting-edge technology and rigorous quality control systems, makes the Korean facility an irreplaceable presence in the Asian market,' a company official said during a briefing on Tuesday at the plant.
