Elephant Boy (2016) sees Krishna Istha re-enact the introductory sequence of Zoltan Korda’s Elephant Boy (1937), in which child actor Sabu recites lines by rote in English despite not being conversant with the language. Sabu was ‘discovered’ in 1936 by anthropologist filmmaker Robert Flaherty who cast the 12-year-old son of a mahout from Mysore, India. Sabu’s performance catapulted him to international stardom, although he was often typecast.
The film explores how colonial violence is imposed on individuals as they take on a new language. The introduction is testament to this: the words and grammar don’t always make sense, just as language evolves, erodes and changes over time. Based on the original edit and rhythm of the source material, the delivery of the Sabu’s lines (Istha uses headphones to listen and repeat dialogue) also draws upon the uncomfortable nature of miming by those who wish to ridicule, differentiate and exaggerate someone’s “Otherness”.
