Biopic on India's first Hollywood actor, known for 'Black Narcissus', in the works

Production house Almighty Motion Picture has acquired the film and television rights to Debleena Majumdar's Sabu: The Remarkable Story of India’s First Actor in Hollywood, the biography of India's first Hollywood actor, Sabu Dastagir aka Selar Sabu.

In a statement, Prabhleen Sandhu, founder of Almight Motion Picture, said: “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."

Born in Mysore to a mahout, Sabu had the fortune of working with some of the biggest directors from American and British cinema, such as Michael Powell (in Black Narcissus and The Thief of Bagdad) and Zoltan Korda (in The Jungle Book). He was discovered at the age of 13 by American filmmaker Robert J Flaherty, who cast him in the 1937 film Elephant Boy, based on Rudyard Kipling’s 'Toomai of the Elephants' from 'The Jungle Book'. He also starred opposite Hollywood legend Robert Mitchum in 1963's Rampage.

During World War II, he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces as a tail-gunner and ball-turret gunner, for which he was honoured with the Distinguished Flying Cross.

An elated Debleena Majumdar said, “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 also for 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 for this book and, more importantly, to learn about how cinema and movies evolved through world-changing global events."

The illustrious and eventful work and life of Sabu came to an end when he met an untimely demise due to a heart attack at the age of 39, in 1963. His contributions to the industry were acknowledged in 1960 with the inclusion of his name in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

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