“It’s not just simple entertainment. I’m a memory from home, though I’m not a memory,” Khan tells TIME. “The diaspora made me the star I am.”

The Bollywood actor appeared at the famed event wearing a floor-length coat by Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi.

In a historic moment, Shah Rukh Khan became the first Indian male actor to attend the MET Gala on Tuesday. And another Indian to attend the coveted event was none other than Priyanka Chopra Jonas, although it was her fifth time.