In the renowned Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's selection committee revealed the 2025 inductees on Wednesday evening. A star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame will be given to each of these celebrities. Indian actress Deepika Padukone, who is famous in the West for her role in XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, was also on the list. Many people in India celebrated Deepika's inclusion in the distinguished list, with some wrongly claiming that she was the first Indian to receive the honor. But that vessel set sail more than sixty years ago.

The first Indian on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Prior to 2025, the class of the Hollywood Walk of Fame only featured an Indian name once, in 1960. Sabu Dastagir, whose name may be well-known in India, became a star in Hollywood prior to World War II. Based on a Rudyard Kipling novel, American filmmaker Robert Flaherty chose Sabu, the son of an elephant mahout, for his 1937 film Elephant Boy. Sabu was born in Mysore in 1924. With the movie The Drum, Sabu relocated to Hollywood in 1938. He became a Hollywood celebrity in 1940 when he played Abu in the fantastical adventure picture The Thief of Bagdad. Over the next several years, Sabu starred in blockbuster movies such as Mowgli, Arabian Nights, White Savage, and Cobra Woman. When Sabu was a teenager, he starred in several of the most well-known fantasy and action movies of the day, making him one of the most well-liked non-white actors in Hollywood.

Sabuj joined the US Army and even saw action in World War II after obtaining his American citizenship in 1944. However, it turned out to be a turning point in his professional life. After the war, employment opportunities vanished. Sabu starred primarily in unsuccessful European films in the 1950s. Mehboob Khan thought about him for the starring role in Mother India in 1957, but Sabu was unable to get the required employment permit. Eventually, Sunil Dutt was given the part. No Indian movie has ever featured Sabu. At the age of 39, he passed away from a heart attack in 1963.

The manner in which Sabu prepared the ground for the future generation of Indian celebrities

The first Indian to achieve success in the West was Sabu. He became a familiar face in Hollywood thanks to his appearances in films like Rampage and The Thief of Baghdad. Indian performers such as Kabir Bedi, Om Puri, and Amrish Puri would occasionally stop in Hollywood films for years after his death. Although Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah both starred in American films, neither of them played the main role. Indian stars didn't take the lead in Hollywood again until Aishwarya Rai and later Priyanka Chopra starred in major crossover movies. In between, Irrfan Khan established a remarkable career in the West, playing both leading and supporting roles in significant Hollywood movies.

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