Years active 1925–1963 Spouse Gohar (m. ?–1975) Died November 25, 1975, Mumbai | Role Director Name Chandulal Shah | |
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Full Name Chandulal Jesangbhai Shah Born 13 April 1898 ( 1898-04-13 ) Jamnagar, Gujarat, India Other names Chandulal J. Shah / Chandulal Shah Occupation Film director, producer
founded Ranjit Studios (1929) Movies Jogan, Achhut, Akeli Mat Jaiyo, Holi, Bansari, Thokar, Fariyaad, The Secretary, Dhiraj, Gorakh Aya, Shankar Parvati Similar People Gohar, Jayant Desai, Abdur Rashid Kardar, Kidar Sharma, Khemchand Prakash | ||
How S Mahendra Got Chance To sing In Chandulal Shah's Movie ?
Chandulal Jesangbhai Shah (13 April 1898 – 25 November 1975) was a famous director, producer and screenwriter of Indian films, who founded Ranjit Studios in 1929.
Contents
- How S Mahendra Got Chance To sing In Chandulal Shahs Movie
- Early life
- Film career
- Later life and death
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
- References
Early life
Shah was born in 1898 in Jamnagar, Gujarat, British India. He studied at Sydenham College in Bombay (now Mumbai) and got a job at the Bombay Stock Exchange in 1924. While waiting to get a job he helped his brother, J. D. Shah, who was a writer for mythological films. He was called by the "Laxmi Film Company" to direct a film Vimla in 1925 as its director Manilal Joshi was bedridden. Chandulal Shah not only directed the film but also went on to do two more films for the company, Panch Danda (1925) and Madhav Kam Kundala (1926) before returning to the Stock Exchange.
Film career
Amarchand Shroff, a friend of Shah, who was with the Laxmi Film Company, brought him to Kohinoor Film Company where he first came into contact with Gohar, a contact that eventually developed into both a personal and professional relationship.
The first film independently directed by him at Kohinoor was Typist Girl (1926) starring Sulochana and Gohar which was made in 17 days. The film did extremely well at the box-office leading Shah to direct another five films for the studio all featuring Gohar. Of these, the most famous was Gunsundari (1927).
In 1929 Chandulal Shah founded Ranjit Studios at Bombay, Maharashtra. It produced films between 1929 and mid-1970s. The company began production of silent films in 1929 under the banner Ranjit Film Company and by 1932 had made 39 pictures, most of them social dramas. The company changed its name to Ranjit Movietone in 1932 and during the 1930s produced numerous successful talkies at the rate of about six a year. At this time, the studio employed around 300 actors, technicians and other employees. With the advent of sound, Ranjit Film Company became Ranjit Movietone.
Besides Filmmaking, Chandulal Shah also devoted a lot of time to the organizational work of the Indian Film Industry. Both the Silver Jubilee (1939) and the Golden Jubilee of the Indian film Industry (1963) were celebrated under his guidance. He was the first president of The Film Federation of India formed in 1951 and even led an Indian delegation to Hollywood the following year.
Later life and death
Shah's downfall started when Raj Kapoor and Nargis starrer Paapi failed at the box office, followed by Zameen ke Taare. He took to gambling and horse racing. On 25 November 1975, the industry's most powerful man, who once owned a fleet of cars, was reduced to travelling in buses and died penniless.