Shah Rukh Khan ‘copied’ Brad Pitt in King? 'Nah, it’s just fashion being fashion'

From the biker-chic jackets of Deewana to the sweatshirts of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the brown leather in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, the sweater casually slung in Mohabbatein, and the linen ease of Dear Zindagi — Shah Rukh Khan, who turned 60 on November 2, has been setting style benchmarks since 1992.

But this time, as he walked in wearing a mustard-yellow jacket over a blue shirt in King’s teaser, the Internet broke into a style skirmish with one camp calling it homage, the other crying copy.


Somewhere between fan-club wars and fashion trolling, mustard jackets and denim shirts found themselves trending again. Turns out, the combo isn’t new at all. Admit it: you’ve probably got a denim shirt and something mustard tucked away somewhere, too.

From Rajinikanth to Koi Mil Gaya’s Jadoo, everyone’s already done it. In the battle of who wore it first, there’s no real winner. Ask stylists and designers, and they’ll tell you this denim-mustard pairing didn’t start on a racetrack or a movie set. It’s been hanging in our closets for decades.

The denim-and-mustard combo has always been there

"To be honest, wearing these kinds of jackets with denim has always been there. This is like a staple look across the globe. It isn’t a new thing," says stylist and designer Harshit Srivastava, before adding, "Whenever we talk about old-money aesthetics or the older tough-boy kind of a look, you’ll see a lot of characters wearing this combo. It’s a very old-boy, no-nonsense look with a sense of relatability and recall value. Shah Rukh’s character in King or Brad Pitt’s F1 avatar both have that serious, older-man energy.”

Harshit explained that denim comes from the cool blue family, so pairing it with something from the warmer family: yellows, oranges, mustard always works. It’s a perfect contrast.

Before Internet called it a copy, Bollywood had already made it iconic

From Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra to Govinda, Suniel Shetty, Jethalal and even CID’s Inspector Abhijeet, everyone’s worn this combo at some point.

Also, not just movie and TV stars, Harshit argues, this combination must have been sitting in the wardrobe of a lot of men since forever, but “moments like these just remind men that something so simple can be a talk of the town.”

Even extraterrestrial fashion had its mustard moment when Jadoo appeared wearing it in Koi... Mil Gaya (2003).

Now that Shah Rukh’s worn it, don’t be surprised if half the country suddenly rediscovers mustard jackets this winter. But designer Aman Jain calls it a timeless American import. “As much as the colour, the relevance of fabric is also important, suede as outerwear with denim or a handwoven inner layer. The look borrows from two strong inspirations: the rugged biker’s casual and the classic cowboy’s workwear. It might get attention now because Shah Rukh wore it, but it’s always been a classic American look,” he says.

Nobody’s copying anyone

Maybe it’s time to stop fighting over “who wore it first.” Nobody’s copying anyone. It’s just fashion doing what it always does: recycling classics. As Harshit Srivastava puts it, “I’m sorry, it’s rubbish. Tomorrow they’ll say everyone’s copying everyone at the Oscars because they’re all wearing tuxedos! A black tuxedo is a black tuxedo… You can’t copy an ivory shirt with denim either. It’s just a fashion basic.”

While the pairing has “old-money” roots, its appeal cuts across generations. Designer Dhruv Vaish points out that mustard, though tricky to style, fits right into today’s re-emergence of brighter palettes. “In the ’90s, colours were everywhere. Then things got muted for about 15 years. Now they’re returning in a classier, more elegant way. For me, it’s not so much old-money as it is modern refinement. Brighter colours like mustard are coming back. Gen Z is experimenting, and it’s great for that too,” he says.

Whether you call it cowboy core, old-money cool or just denim meeting its mustard match, some looks don’t just come back; they refuse to leave.

Where have you seen it before:

Rajinikanth in Sivaji The Boss (2007)

Salman Khan in Chal Mere Bhai (2000)

Govinda in Hero No 1 (1997)

Jadoo in Koi... Mil Gaya (2003)

Shah Rukh Khan in Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017)

Jr NTR in War 2 (2025)