When the word dropped that Deepika Padukone would be honoured with a star in 2026, the Internet went wild. Social media blew up. Everyone called her the first Indian to snag that spot. Here’s the twist: that’s not exactly the case.
Deepika’s win is huge, no question. However, she is not the first Indian to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. The title originally belongs to Sabu Dastagir—a name most people barely remember now, though he burned bright back in the day.
Who was Sabu Dastagir?
Born in Mysore in 1924, Sabu was raised in a family of mahouts (yeah, elephant trainers), he was plucked from obscurity by Robert Flaherty for the 1937 movie Elephant Boy, which was based on Rudyard Kipling’s tale. The kid just had that spark. Hollywood noticed.
By 1960, Sabu’s star was literally set in Hollywood’s pavement—a good 60 years before Deepika’s. During the late ‘30s and early ‘40s, he became a go-to face for fantasy-adventure flicks: The Drum, The Thief of Bagdad, Arabian Nights—the works. He was everywhere. For a non-white actor in that era? Almost unheard of. He even became a U.S. citizen in 1944 and served in the army during World War II.
Internet Calls Out Deepika Padukone
Not #DeepikaPadukone, but Sabu Dastagir from Mysore was the first Indian to be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Only two Indians have managed this feat.. both from Karnataka!💛♥️ https://t.co/cFMrORFGOw pic.twitter.com/x2xmkjFlD1
— ದಿಪು 🍉 (@dipunair) July 3, 2025
Before @deepikapadukone there was Sabu Dastagir who was the first Indian to get a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.
The Mysore-born actor was inducted into the Walk of Fame in 1960, a full six decades before Deepika’s name would be announced. #HollywoodWalkOfFame #News pic.twitter.com/CHmNPtBK26
— GOODTIMES (@mygoodtimes) July 3, 2025
The first Indian actor to make it in Hollywood was not Anil Kapoor or Priyanka or even Naseer. He was a 13 year old boy, first cast in a documentary about elephants who starred in the 1940 hit Thief of Baghdad. Sabu Dastagir was originally from Mysore & made more than 20 films. pic.twitter.com/XBCiEiGRjB
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) January 27, 2021
But nothing in Hollywood lasts forever. After the war, Sabu’s roles dried up. He drifted to Europe, did a few smaller films. There was talk he might star in Mother India in 1957, but visa issues shut that down.
Sunil Dutt got the part instead. Sabu died way too young, just 39, from a heart attack. Hollywood moved on. His star faded into the background.
Still, die-hard fans keep his memory alive. Every year, you’ll see a few tributes online—on his birthday, on the anniversary of his death. He may not be a household name anymore, but that star on Hollywood Boulevard? It’s not going anywhere.
