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Sabu

Sabu

Actor · Died December 2, 1963, aged 39 · Karapur, Mysore, Kingdom of Mysore, British India

Sabu Dastagir (possibly born Selar Sabu; 27 January 1924 – 2 December 1963) was an Indian actor who later gained United States citizenship. Throughout his career he was credited under the name Sabu and is primarily known for his work in films during the 1930s–1940s in Britain and the United States. He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 27, 1924
Died
December 2, 1963 (aged 39)
From
Karapur, Mysore, Kingdom of Mysore, British India
Works as
Actor
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 26% in 30 days

What are Sabu's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Power.

Genres

Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
39%
Power
24%
Society
12%
Morality
10%
Survival
8%
Self
7%
Romantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 8 · Intense 0

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

6 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 6 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 6
Hero
2 of 6
Trickster
1 of 6

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Romantic
6
Tense
5
Thrilling
6
Melancholic
2
Warm
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sabu's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sabu's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

24 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Abu (archival footage)

  • A Tiger Walks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Ram Singh

  • Rampage(1963)

    as Talib

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Mistress of the World - Part II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Lin-Chor

  • Mistress of the World(1960)

    as Lin-Chor

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Sabu and the Magic Ring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Sabu, the stable boy

  • Jungle Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Sabu the Jungle Boy

  • Jaguar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Juano

  • The Black Panther (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Sabu the Jungle Boy

  • The Treasure of Bengal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Ainur

  • Hello Elephant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Sultan of Nagore

  • Savage Drums (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Tipo Tairu

  • Song of India (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Ramdar

  • Man-Eater of Kumaon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Narain

  • The End of the River(1947)

    as Manoel

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Black Narcissus(1947)

    as The Young General

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Tangier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Pepe

  • Cobra Woman(1944)

    as Kado

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • White Savage(1943)

    as Orano

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Arabian Nights(1942)

    as Ali Ben Ali

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Jungle Book(1942)

    as Mowgli

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Thief of Bagdad(1940)

    as Abu

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Drum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Prince Azim

  • Elephant Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Toomai

Career shape

Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 24 titles from 1937 to 2008.

Biggest box office

The Jungle Book (1942)

$3.9M worldwide

Highest rated

Black Narcissus (1947)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

Film career

Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles.

  • 1938Screen debut· The Drum
  • 1938First top-billed film· The Drum

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting24 of 24: 24 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score36th

By decade

1930s2 · acting1940s10 · acting1950s7 · acting1960s4 · acting2000s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 33% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Sabu's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 36th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 9 titles divides audiences: 5 are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most loved · actor

Black Narcissus (1947)

Midcredits 95th · 82% liked

Reviewers score the acting 56/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 34. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Sabu work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sabu's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Powell shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers