FAMOUS INDIAN BOY

Evening Star, Issue 23189, 11 February 1939, Page 8

FAMOUS INDIAN BOY

HCW HE BECAME A FILM STAR Some time ago there was a film which was shown in the cinemas over the whole world. It was a version of one of Rudyard Kipling’s most famous tales. The film was called ‘ The Elephant Boy,’ and the main figure in the film was a little Indian boy, only 12 years of age, who had such a great success in this film that the company took him all the way from India to England in order to give him further training.- The boy’s name is Sabu, and the- story of his life reads like a novel. Sabu was born at Mysore, in India. His mother died <when he was quite little, and it was this misfortune which eventually brought him fame. Sabu’s father was Mahaut, keeper of the elephants of the Rajah of Mysore, in India, and he taught one of his charges to act as nurse to his little motherless son Sabu. If the child cried or ; was restless the elephant started rocking the cradle with his trunk and as Sabu grew up he became more and more familiar with the elephants until at last they were his favourite playmates. When Sabu was 10 years old hie father died, and because the boy knew the elephants and their ways so well the Rajah let him take over his father’s job as keeper. During a religious procession two representatives of a British film company were struck by the sight of the little boy who led the whole procession sitting on the neck of a giant elephant. These men were in India to get ideas for a Kipling film, and in this manner Sabu was discovered. Sabu, who is now 14 years old, is attending school in England. He has never-been to school before, and now he is working hard in order to catch up with other boys of his age. Sabu is now a ward of the nation, and it has been decided that he must not act in more than two films a year, in order that he shall not be overworked. This clever child actor has just finished a new film, ‘ The Drum.’ The life he is leading now is a great change for him. In India he was satisfied when he earned a couple of shillings a month, and now he earns about £3,000 a year! There is only one thing he misses, he has no birthday. All ho knows is that he was born “ three or four days after Bari’s fourth child.” Bari is one of the elephants.