The Elephant Boy – Screening, Talk and Exhibition

A Hidden Heritage – Indo-British Collaboration in Cinema in UK (1930-1951)
SACF is working on a film heritage project titled: A Hidden Heritage: Indo-British Collaboration in Cinema in UK (1930 –1951). Among the findings of the project are two actors of Indian origin who rose to international stardom – Merle Oberon and Sabu – on whom we are focusing through the events given below.

SABU (1924-1963)

A simple but extremely gifted and intelligent lad who worked in the Elephant Palace of the Maharaja of Mysore in South India, Sabu, at the age of 11, was discovered by Korda’s team. He did not know a word of English but had charisma and immense potential. Korda’s team shipped Sabu with his brother to London where he rose to fame. He became England’s first child star from India after starring in Alexander Korda’s The Elephant Boy (1935), a film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s Toomai of the Elephants. He was the first English actor of Indian origin to become an international star and a household name all over the world. He later on moved to Hollywood.

• FREE talk titled: Sabu: The Elephant Boy & Child Stardom by Dr Jeffrey Richards at 11 am in NFT.
• FREE Exhibition on Sabu in the Blue Room, BFI South Bank (afternoon)
• Screening of: The Elephant Boy, starring Sabu at 2 pm in NFT.