"Sabaka" is not a great film by any standard, though, in a pinch, it's worth watching as a time-passer. I know this is faint praise, but it's just not a movie I can strongly endorse. The only reason I decided to watch the film is that Boris Karloff was in the film, though he was generally wasted.
The film is set in India and it was nice to see that the film crew actually went to this country to film it. HOWEVER, it was also a severe disappointment that none of the folks in the film were Indians! While Karloff looked rather Indian, most of the actors simply looked like Hollywood actors painted up to look like Indians--which they were. And, in addition to having Hollywood types in the roles, the film also suffered from 'travelogue-itis'--the horrible need to film lots of native scenes and place them into the film--often at the most inappropriate times. For example, during a scene where the jungle is on fire, there is a scene involving a leopard killing some helpless animal---why?!?! What does this have to do with a forest fire?! The story is about a cult started by a couple of scum-bags. They worship the false fire god Sabaka--who is evil and full of nastiness. So it's up to a nice young Sabu-wannabe to infiltrate the gang and bring them all to justice using his trusted jungle friends. None of it is all that interesting but at least it isn't all that dull. And at least it's in color--nice, pretty color. But the story is a bit uninspired and it's just a slightly below average time-passer.
The film is set in India and it was nice to see that the film crew actually went to this country to film it. HOWEVER, it was also a severe disappointment that none of the folks in the film were Indians! While Karloff looked rather Indian, most of the actors simply looked like Hollywood actors painted up to look like Indians--which they were. And, in addition to having Hollywood types in the roles, the film also suffered from 'travelogue-itis'--the horrible need to film lots of native scenes and place them into the film--often at the most inappropriate times. For example, during a scene where the jungle is on fire, there is a scene involving a leopard killing some helpless animal---why?!?! What does this have to do with a forest fire?! The story is about a cult started by a couple of scum-bags. They worship the false fire god Sabaka--who is evil and full of nastiness. So it's up to a nice young Sabu-wannabe to infiltrate the gang and bring them all to justice using his trusted jungle friends. None of it is all that interesting but at least it isn't all that dull. And at least it's in color--nice, pretty color. But the story is a bit uninspired and it's just a slightly below average time-passer.