FROM MYSORE TO HOLLYWOOD

Ever wondered when did this all started and who was the first Indian actor who made it to Hollywood? This article is about that first actor who worked in Hollywood movies without any training; long before our talented actors like Irrfan Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Dhanush and others did. Let's find out who he was and his entire journey.

The Elephant Boy: Sabu Dastagir; Image Credit: Scroll.in

When it comes to Hollywood movies like Baywatch, The Great Gatsby, The Gray Man and others, there’s a reason why they hold a special place in Indian viewers’ hearts. It is because they have well-known Indian actors playing important roles in them. However, have you ever heard of the Hollywood movie ‘The Elephant Boy’ released in 1937 or perhaps about Sabu Dastagir? He was the first Indian actor who set foot in Hollywood. He had an adventurous journey that started in Mysuru and ended in the USA.

Born as Selar Sabu, there is a fascinating tale behind why he is popularly called Sabu Dastagir and not by his original name. He was only 9 years old when his father passed away. From then, his elder brother Dastagir looked after him. He used to accompany Sabu for the shoots abroad. Once, there was confusion while filing the immigration form that resulted in Sabu being called ‘Sabu Dastagir’ legally.

He was born in a village in Mysuru in 1924. His father was a mahout for the Maharaja of Mysore. Hence, Sabu spent most of his time in the stable with the elephants. He was discovered by chance during the location hunting of the film Elephant Boy in 1937, based on Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Toomai of the Elephants’. Experts still debate whether he was spotted by Frances Flaherty, writer and wife of the director Robert Flaherty, or Osmond Borradaile, their cameraman. Sabu was offered the film and it was shot at two locations- Mysuru and Denham Studios in England. Sabu became a popular name in Hollywood with the success of his debut film itself. He rose to fame, especially during the late 1930s and mid-1940 and worked in movies like Drum, The Jungle Book, Arabian Nights, Cobra Woman, etc.

An interesting fact about him is that he was not only a reel-life hero but also a real-life War hero. After becoming an American citizen in 1944, he joined the Air Force to serve as a machine gunner in the United States Army during World War II. He was even awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and other honours after the war. He continued working in cinema post-war and married actress Marilyn Cooper, who was his co-actor and played the role of princess Tara in ‘Song of India’ (1949).

Later in his career, he was only seen playing a supporting actor or a comic relief. Most of the film required him to play the stereotypical naive Asian characters. Interestingly, he was never offered any role in Indian movies though he was popular in the West. Unlike today, when actors first work in the national cinema and then with the international ones, Sabu never got an opportunity to work with the Indian Film Industry. He was, however, once considered to play a lead role in Mother India, which was later played by the actor Sunil Dutt.

He died of a heart attack in 1963 when he was just 39 years old. In his last movie, ‘A Tiger Walks’ by Disney, he played an Indian animal trainer. It was released three months after his death. It is worth noting that an actor who started his acting journey by playing Indian characters in Hollywood remains unknown in India. He reached a great height in his career in a foreign land but remained forgotten in his home country.