Early Years: Chandulal Jesangbhai Shah was born in 1898 in Jamnagar, Gujarat. He studied at Sydenham College in Bombay & 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.
Early Career: In 1925 he was called by the Laxmi Film Company to direct a film Vimla, as its director Manilal Joshi was bedridden. Shah not only directed the film but also went on to do two more pictures for the company, Panch Dadda and Madhav Kamkundala.
Early Career: He then joined 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 made in 17 days.
Success: Shah and Gohar then moved to Jagdish Film Company where Shah wrote and directed four films all with Gohar before forming his own Shri Ranjit Film Company in 1929 in partnership with Gohar. Ranjit Film Company churned out 39 silent films in little more than 3 years from 1929-32.
Success: With the advent of sound, his company became Ranjit Movietone. Ranjit eventually acquired four sound stages and achieved an output of six features a year, which stretched over more than a decade of uninterrupted successes.
Success: The studio boasted, "There are more stars in Ranjit than in the heavens!" During the 1930s Ranjit maintained a payroll of about 300 artists, technicians and others.
Last Days: Besides Filmmaking, Shah also devoted a lot of time to the organizational work of the Indian Film Industry. Both the Silver Jubilee and the Golden Jubilee of the Indian film Industry 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.
Last Days: 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.