MUMBAI– The extraordinary life of Sabu Dastagir—India’s first Hollywood star—is set to be immortalized on screen. Almighty Motion Picture has acquired the film and television rights to Sabu: The Remarkable Story of India’s First Actor in Hollywood, the acclaimed biography by author Debleena Majumdar.
The biography traces Sabu’s incredible journey from the elephant stables of Mysore to international stardom, capturing a life that bridged continents, cultures, and cinematic eras.
“Sabu’s story deserves to be told with grandeur and truth,” said Prabhleen Sandhu, Producer at Almighty Motion Picture. “He wasn’t just India’s first global star—he was a bridge between worlds, cultures, and eras. Bringing his story to the screen is not just about filmmaking—it’s about preserving a legacy the world must never forget. It’s a responsibility we hold close to our hearts.”
Born in 1924 in Karapura, in the princely state of Mysore (then part of British India), Sabu was the son of a mahout—an elephant handler. He was discovered at a young age and cast in the 1937 film Elephant Boy, based on Rudyard Kipling’s Toomai of the Elephants from The Jungle Book. Directed by Robert J. Flaherty and Zoltan Korda, the film was partly shot in Mysore and at Denham Studios in London. It won Best Director at the Venice Film Festival and launched Sabu into global fame.
Sabu went on to star in a series of Hollywood classics, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940), Jungle Book (1942), Arabian Nights (1942), and Black Narcissus (1947), becoming a box office sensation and one of the first Indian actors to gain international recognition.
In addition to his cinematic success, Sabu served with distinction as an air gunner in the Royal Air Force during World War II. His contributions to film were recognized in 1960 when he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Sabu passed away suddenly in 1963 from a heart attack at the age of 39.
Author Debleena Majumdar expressed her gratitude: “A huge thanks to my literary agent, Suhail Mathur, for believing in me—not just for securing a book deal and an audiovisual one, but also for sharing the idea itself. And to Almighty Motion Picture, thank you for finding value in this story and shaping it with such a powerful vision.”
“It was an honor to research this book, and even more so to explore how cinema evolved through the backdrop of world-changing events,” she added.
The upcoming biopic promises to reintroduce global audiences to a forgotten icon whose life journey—from colonial India to the Hollywood spotlight—is as cinematic as the roles he played. (Source: IANS)
