Latest news with #Sabu
IOL News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Biopic on India's maiden Hollywood star
Sabu, India's first actor in Hollywood Image: IANS The extraordinary life story of Sabu, who was India's maiden Hollywood actor, is coming to life on the big screen. The film and television rights to 'Sabu: The Remarkable Story of India's First Actor in Hollywood,' the acclaimed biography by author Debleena Majumdar has been acquired by Almighty Motion Picture. The biography chronicles the incredible true story of Sabu Dastagir, the Indian boy who rose from elephant stables in Mysore to become an international movie star. 'Sabu's story deserves to be told with grandeur and truth. He wasn't just India's first global star, he was a bridge between worlds, cultures and eras. To bring his story to the screen is more than filmmaking. It's preserving a legacy the world must never forget and is a responsibility we hold close to our hearts,' said Prabhleen Sandhu, producer at Almighty Motion Picture. The son of a mahout (elephant handler), Sabu's journey from colonial India to the Hollywood Walk of Fame reads like a forgotten epic of fame, war, identity, and legacy. His story spans continents, cultures and eras — from his breakout role in 'Elephant Boy' to his service as a decorated air gunner in World War II. Sabu, who was born in 1924 in Karapura, Mysore, Kingdom of Mysore, then a princely state of British India, made his debut in the 1937 film 'Elephant Boy' based on Rudyard Kipling's 'Toomai of the Elephants' from 'The Jungle Book.' The film was directed by documentary filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty, who produced the Indian footage, and supervising director Zoltan Korda, who completed the film and won the best director award at the Venice Film Festival. Shot at London Films studios at Denham and on location in Mysore, the film launched Sabu into international stardom. He went on to star in Hollywood classics including 'The Thief of Bagdad' (1940), 'Jungle Book' (1942), 'Arabian Nights' (1942) and 'Black Narcissus' (1947), becoming a box office sensation and cultural bridge between east and west. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ His contributions to cinema were recognised with his induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Sabu died suddenly in 1963 of a heart attack at the age 39. Majumdar added: "Thanks a lot to my literary agent Mr. Suhail Mathur for believing in me and for not only getting me a book deal & an AV one but for also sharing the amazing idea & Almighty Motion Picture for finding value in the story and for shaping it with this brilliant vision. 'It was an honour to research this book and more importantly to learn about how cinema and movies evolved through world changing global events.' SUNDAY TRIBUNE
Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
India's first Hollywood star rose from elephant stables, fought WWII, almost played Birju in Mother India; his biopic is finally happening
Sabu Dastagir's life sounds like a movie in itself, and now the OG Indian face in Hollywood is finally getting one. According to Variety, Almighty Motion Pictures has acquired the rights to turn Sabu's life and journey into a biopic. The story is based on Debleena Majumdar's biography Sabu: The Remarkable Story of India's First Actor in Hollywood. It's a story many might not know today, but way before Bollywood made a breakthrough and went global, Sabu was making headlines, not just in India, but all across the West. He was also the first Indian to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame star of his own. Also read: 10 Biggest Emmy snubs of 2025: Squid Game, Selena Gomez, The Handmaid's Tale and more Born in 1924 in Mysore, British India, Sabu was the son of a mahout, an elephant caretaker who used to work for a maharaja. Sabu was very young when he lost both his parents and started working in the elephant stables. One day, American filmmaker Robert Flaherty found him while searching for someone to play the lead in Elephant Boy. The film, based on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book story 'Toomai of the Elephants,' marked Sabu's Hollywood debut at just the age of 13. The movie became a hit, and Sabu turned into an overnight global star. American and British media wrote praises for his charming, smart, and absolutely natural acting skills. Flaherty and supervising director Zoltan Korda won the best director award at the Venice Film Festival. British producer Alexander Korda wasted no time in signing Sabu under his banner, and next we know, the young superstar was headlining mega films like The Drum (1938), his first Technicolor role, The Thief of Bagdad (1940), Jungle Book (1942), where he played Mowgli, Arabian Nights (1942), White Savage (1943), and Cobra Woman (1944). Universal Pictures signed Sabu after he moved to Hollywood, and he became one of the few brown faces that mainstream audiences knew. That said, many of his roles were heavy on stereotypes. Sabu was often cast as the sidekick or the 'exotic' hero, with little nuance. Also read: American pop star's desi wedding in India had Diddy performing with classical dancer, Rihanna as maid of honor; it ended in divorce over a text At the peak of his career, Sabu became an American citizen and chose to enlist in the Army Air Forces. He served as a tail gunner in the Pacific and flew 42 combat missions. He was decorated with the Flying Cross and the Air Medal. The on-screen hero turned into a real-life hero and soon became a household name in the US. After the war, Sabu tried returning to acting, but things had already started to change. The 'exotic adventure' genre was fading, and Hollywood wasn't offering him any lead or complex role anymore. Still, he did a few notable films like Tangier (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) , and The End of the River (1947). Interestingly, Sabu was the first choice to lead the Hindi film Mother India as Birju, which could have marked his debut in Indian cinema, but visa issues reportedly blocked it. That role, as we know, went to Sunil Dutt. So, despite being an Indian, Sabu never got to act in an Indian film. Tragically, Sabu died of a heart attack in 1963 at just 39. He was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood. Some of his last films were Mistress of the World (1960), Rampage (1963), and A Tiger Walks (1964) – released posthumously. Producer behind the upcoming project, Prabhleen Sandhu, called it a legacy that 'the world must never forget.' She added, 'He wasn't just India's first global star—he was a bridge between worlds, cultures, and eras. To bring his story to the screen is more than filmmaking – it's preserving a legacy the world must never forget and is a responsibility we hold close to our hearts.'
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Biopic on India's first Hollywood star Sabu Dastagir in the works
Sabu Dastagir Sabu Dastagir, widely regarded as India's first actor to find success in Hollywood, will soon have his life story adapted for the screen. Producer Prabhleen Sandhu of Almighty Motion Picture has acquired the rights to Sabu: The Remarkable Story of India's First Actor in Hollywood, a biography by Debleena Majumdar. The upcoming adaptation will be developed either as a feature film or a web series. Prabhleen shares, 'Sabu's story deserves to be told with honesty and scale. He wasn't just India's first global star; he was a bridge between cultures, generations, and continents. Bringing his journey to the screen isn't just about making a film — it's about preserving a legacy that must not be forgotten, and that's a responsibility we take seriously. ' Debleena adds, 'Thanks a lot to my literary agent Mr Suhail Mathur for believing in me and for not only getting me a book deal and an AV one but for also sharing the amazing idea and Almighty Motion Picture for finding value in the story and for shaping it with this brilliant vision. It was an honour to research on this book and more importantly to learn about how cinema and movies evolved through world changing global events. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo ' Born in Mysore to a mahout, Sabu rose from modest beginnings in colonial India to become an international star. He made his debut in Elephant Boy (1937), based on Rudyard Kipling's Toomai of the Elephants, and featured in Hollywood classics like The Thief of Bagdad, Jungle Book (1942), Arabian Nights (1942), and Black Narcissus (1947). In 1960, he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Alongside his film career, Sabu, who became an American citizen, served in the United States Air Force during World War II, earning recognition as an air gunner.
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Award-winning teacher EC Sabu on teaching Malayalam to other language speakers for 35 years
Every Sunday, students from across the country, also a couple of them from Nigeria, eagerly await a WhatsApp alert. Like clockwork, the message pings at 11am, and a virtual classroom transports them to the backwaters of Kerala as E C Sabu, an award-winning teacher introduces them to Malayalam words like vallamkali, vanchipaatu, and kaayal. As the third batch of Amrutham Malayalam, a seven-month online Malayalam course offered by the World Malayalee Council, Coimbatore Province begins, Sabu says, 'Our students are a mixed group of professors, doctors, retirees, school children, and teachers who speak Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Urdu or any language. It's a big thrill for them to read name boards in Malayalam while travelling in Kerala.' An award-winning teacher, Sabu served as vice-principal, later as principal of CMS Higher Secondary School before retiring from active teaching this May. 'I wanted to be a journalist but ended up becoming a Malayalam PG Assistant in 1990 at CMS School. My first batch of class XII students are over 52 years old now,' he says as he reflects upon his 35-year journey in teaching. Around the same time, he also became a part of Coimbatore Malayalee Samajam's seven-month certificate course that opened its doors to learning Malayalam for non-native speakers. 'The course is on its way to set a record as the longest running course in any regional language. Kerala's State Resource Centre (under the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India) was our sponsor for three decades. Now, with World Malayalee Council's online course for the last three years, the reach has been immense.' In the 1990s, Tamil speakers enrolled in large numbers, especially students of MA Tamil in Bharathiar University, he recalls. Poet Sirpi Balasubramaniam who headed the Tamil department made it mandatory for students to clear a paper in Malayalam. 'Once, 14 Tamil PhD students from the University joined the course and scored cent percent marks in Malayalam exams at the end of the course. They are all now HoDs of Tamil in various colleges, like Dr Uma Maheswari at Government College in Chittoor, Kerala and others at Government College, Ooty and Maharaja College, Erode,' he reminisces, adding that the course is a melting pot of cultures giving rise to new friendships. Sabu's teaching method begins with easy letters before moving on to forms, sentences, grammar, translation, and spoken language. Every year, a number of non-native speakers attend to understand Kerala's art and culture, its landscape, people and literature. Over the last three decades, the certificate course evolved as a literary movement. One of the students translated celebrated Malayalam writer Vaikom Mohammed Basheer's works in Tamil. Another PhD student who joined the course while doing her study on comparative literature on the works of Tamil writer Nanjil Nadan and Malayalam writer CV Balakrishnan turned author with a translation of Malayalam short stories. Sabu who has received a number of awards — Ezhuthani Award, Panditha Sresta Award and Krishna Mangad Cherukatha Award (for his short story) — cant's stop talking about his students. 'The hard work and dedication of my students keeps me going. In the current batch, we have Dorothy, a Bengali who has beautifully picked up the nuances and speaks impeccable Malayalam now. Cardiologist Dr Matheswaran has started conversing with his patients from Kerala. Some join the course because their neighbours are from Kerala or if they are employed in firms run by Malayalees. Then, there are polyglots who join for the sheer love of languages. One of the students Dr Viswaroop is a native Telugu speaker, but also knows Kannada, Tamil and now Malayalam.' While teaching, his social outings come to a standstill. 'I have to thank my wife, K Chitra, a retired Hindi professor, my daughter S Lakshmipriya, my son-in-law J Murali Krishnan, my grand daughter Parvathi Krishna for being supportive. I feel charged when I am with my students. They understand what keeps me motivated,' he says adding that his high schooling at NSS High School at Pala in Kerala drew him closer to the language. 'Especially my Malayalam teachers like Raghavan Nair and Velu Pillai who introduced me to the nuances. It was a turning point in my journey. Later in college, the first batch of Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, our vice-chancellor was U R Ananthamurthy, Gnanapith award winner.' Teaching Malayalam to a mixed group has become a part of his life, says Sabu. 'Learning a new language is not just about letters. It's an introduction to culture, geography, lifestyle. We highlight all these in the classes to make it engaging and alive. Based on my experience, I know the challenges faced by students in learning a new language, so my methodology takes into account these aspects. While joining the course, the question on everyone's mind is 'Is it possible to master a language in seven months?' But once I see the progress, I feel overjoyed.' As for his future plans, he wants to move back to his hometown Pala in Kerala and start farming. 'I have built a house there and we have already planted jackfruit, mango, and pepper. But, the online classes will continue without any break,' he says, adding, 'There is no full stop to learning.' To know more on the upcoming batches of online Malayalam classes, call 9486477891/ 6380701846
Pink Villa
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Who is first Indian actor to act in Hollywood? Meet Sabu Dastagir who earned Hollywood Walk of Fame star 65 years ago
It is not every day that we get to celebrate news as big as Deepika Padukone getting a star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame. Recently, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's selection panel announced the list of 2025 inductees in the prestigious Walk of Fame, and it included the name of the Tamasha actress. But there was yet another Indian, almost 65 years ago, who became the first Indian to achieve this. He was Sabu Dastagir, a Mysore-born boy who went on to become a Hollywood sensation. About Sabu Dastagir Not 2025, but it was in 1960, that the class of the Hollywood Walk of Fame had an Indian name for the first time. Not many must have heard about Sabu Dastagir, but let us tell you that he was a sensation in Hollywood before World War 2. He was born in Mysore in 1924 to an elephant mahout. An American filmmaker, Robert Flaherty, spotted him and chose him for the 1937 film Elephant Boy. This film was based on Rudyard Kipling's book with the same name. In 1938, after Sabu's yet another Hollywood film, The Drum released, he moved there. After his stint as Abu in the 1940 film The Thief of Bagdad, Dastagir became a star. After this, he also starred in films like Mowgli, Arabian Nights, White Savage and Cobra Woman. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he had made a mark for himself in Hollywood at a very young age. He was one of the most popular non-white actors who were a part of major hit films. Sabu Dastagir's Journey In The Army After becoming a household name in Hollywood and becoming an American citizen, the actor joined the US Army in 1944. He even fought World War 2, which marked the end of his acting career. He no longer got acting roles, and in the 50s, Sabu appeared in mostly unsuccessful European films. Did Sabu Dastagir Work in Bollywood? Not many know that he was Mehboob Khan's first choice for Nargis Dutt 's Mother India. Unfortunately, as he did not get the work permit and the role went to Sunil Dutt. This could have been his gateway to Bollywood, but he could never work here, as in 1963, he suffered a heart attack and passed away when he was only 39.
