Rohinton Soli Screwvala, better known as Ronnie Screwvala, is an Indian entrepreneur. He was a pioneer of cable television in India and is considered one of India’s most influential businessmen. He has been one of the leading investors in early stage technology and new economy companies in India. A jack of all trades, Screwvala is the founder of UTV Software Communications, chairman and co-founder of upGrad, filmmaker, philanthropist, author and one of the most recognized names in film production and distribution.
Wiki/Biography
Ronnie Screwvala was born on Saturday, September 8, 1956, in Bombay (now known as Bombay), Maharashtra (age 65; as of 2021). He was educated at Bombay Cathedral and John Connon School, and graduated from Sydenham College. While attending college in Mumbai, Screwvala wanted to be an entrepreneur; however, his parents had different plans for him. They wanted him to go to England and work in accounting. Speaking about his enthusiasm for it in an interview, he said:
everyone [in India] Believe that if you don’t get a good job, you just want to be an entrepreneur,”
He seems to have been interested in drama and theater while in school and also acted professionally in Bombay theaters as a hobby.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′11″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Ronnie Screwvala sitting in his house
family
Parents and siblings
Ronnie Screwvala was born into a Parsi family. He comes from a humble background and his living situation belongs to the lower middle class. His father worked as an executive at JL Morrison and Smith & Nephew in the UK. His parents now live in a separate apartment below his apartment.When he recalled the past in an interview, he said
My parents used to play cards on Saturdays. . . All friends will meet. So it was like a big Parsi party. . . The value system is also quietly permeating. ”
wife and children
Ronnie married Manjula Nanavati, the daughter of Suresh Nanavati, director of Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. The couple welcomed their daughter and named her Trishya Screwvala. Trishya runs a non-profit organization, The Lighthouse Project, and married sports commentator Suhail Chandhok on January 19, 2017. Ronnie and Manjula divorced, after which Screwvala married Zarina Mehta. Zarina is a co-founder of UTV and a co-trustee of its charitable foundation, The Swades Foundation.
Ronnie Screwvala with wife Zarina and daughter Trishya
Religion/Religious Views
Ronnie Screwvala belongs to the Parsi community and follows Zoroastrianism. In an interview, he discussed his views on the Parsi community, saying:
Parsi culture is definitely one of strong business acumen, high morals and elements of philanthropy. ”
address
Breach Candy, South Mumbai, Maharashtra
Profession
entrepreneur
Ronnie Screwvala is a savvy entrepreneur with a lot of talent. He first started a company called “Laser” which manufactures toothbrushes and is currently the largest company in India, producing around 6 million toothbrushes per month for most of the leading toothbrush brands in India. He pioneered home shopping in India with the Telephone Shopping Network (TSN) and is known for the introduction of cable TV in India in 1981. He went on to found United Studios, South Asia’s premier studio and animation complex.
UTV
Screwvala merged the UTV Group in 1990 and diversified it into a leading film studio, a gaming studio and a creative content company. The company was listed on the stock exchange in 2005. In 2008, The Walt Disney Company acquired 15% stake in UTV Global Broadcasting Company for Rs 1,000 crore. 118.98 million rupees, becoming India’s largest foreign investment, followed by the acquisition of 32.1% stake in parent company UTV Software Communications Ltd for 805.05 billion rupees. In 2012, Screwvala sold the entire company to WDC. This has made him globally famous in the media industry.
swartz foundation
Ronnie and his wife Zarina are co-founders of the Swades Foundation. The initiative aims to lift one million people out of poverty, with the main focus being livelihood opportunities. The organization is currently active in 3,000 square kilometers of concentric areas in Raigad, Maharashtra, working on water supply, sanitation, health and education in 2,000 villages.
upgrade
Screwvala took the opportunity to explore uncharted territories in education and co-founded upGrad, India’s largest online education company, in 2015. It is a higher education learning platform that offers courses in data science, technology and fields. For college students, professionals, and corporate management. upGrad is partnered with universities like IIT Madras, IIIT-B, BITS Pilani, MICA, Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education, etc.
upGrad founder (Ronnie Screwvala in center)
american sports
Screwvala co-founded USports, which focuses on three areas: kabaddi, esports and football. USports has a program called UDreams that helps train children in these sports professionally so they can reach international levels.
Unilazer Ventures
Unilazer Ventures, incorporated by Screwvala, is a private equity firm that invests in new economy companies and startups in India, bringing his entrepreneurial skills to these companies through early-stage investments with significant minority stakes. Unilazer invests in a wide range of industries, from e-commerce to Lenskart, India’s leading online eyewear company, and from artificial intelligence and robotics to agriculture and micro-housing finance.
Reply to movie
Screwvala re-enters the media and film industry with RSVP Movies. The main goal is to focus on developing your own scripts.
Producer
Movie
Screwvala has produced dozens of mainstream blockbusters, independent films across genres, and contemporary Bollywood classics. Some of Ronnie’s noteworthy works include Swades (2004), Rang De Basanti (2006), Chup Chup Ke (2006), Jodha Akbar (2008), Paan Singh Tomar (2010), Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) , and The Sky Is Pink (2019).
television
Ronnie also produced some successful television shows like Shanti (1994-98), Shaka Laka Boom Boom (2000-04), Khichdi (2002-04), Shararat (2003-07), Hero – Bhakti Hi Shakti Hai ( 2005-) 07) etc.
author
Ronnie Screwvala is a writer and author of Dreaming with Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey, Skills, Killing It: Upping Your Game, and Dreaming with Your Eyes Open 101: Every Practical Questions Every Entrepreneur Must Ask” and other books. Scruvala shares his insights, experiences and wisdom through these books.
Ronnie Screwvala’s book “Skill It Kill It”
Ronnie Screwvala’s book “Open Your Eyes and Dream”
Not just limited to books. Ronny also tries to impart some of his knowledge to the youth through his articles such as “India’s growing awareness of self-reliance is a welcome change, but there is no triple E highway – education, entrepreneurship and employment”, “Changing Mindsets” Online Study” and “Live life on my own terms and provide other lessons for my daughter.”
dispute
- Ronnie Screwvala’s new film Captain India has stirred up controversy as another film, Operation Yemen, is in development and is based on the same plot.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Named to Esquire’s list of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century
- Ranked 78th among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World (Compiled by Time Magazine, 2009)
- Nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Non-English Film – Rang De Basanti
- Rang De Basanti won the National Film Award (2007) for Best Wholesome Entertainment Popular Film
- Rang De Basanti won the Filmfare Award (2007) and IIFA Award (2007) for Best Film
- Jodha Akbar won Filmfare Award (2009) and IIFA Award (2009) for Best Film
- “Barfi!” won the Filmfare Award (2013) and IIFA Award (2013) for Best Film!
net worth
In the 2020 IIFL Fortune Hurun India Rich List, Ronnie Screwvala ranked 188th with a wealth of INR 65 billion.
Facts/Trivia
- Ronnie Screwvala is a dog lover who has a Labrador named Sprite.
- A little-known fact about Screwvala is that he started a theater production company and landed a job as a teen presenter on India’s only national television station.
- Ronnie lost Rs. He has invested Rs 30 crore in an action-packed modern superhero saga starring Vicky Kaushal. The film requires a huge amount of money, and in the producer’s opinion, it cannot be earned back even in non-epidemic times, so he decided to shelve it.
- Since he had always been interested in acting and theater, he played famous roles in Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Death of a Salesman.”
- He has a huge carved chess board in his house and he enjoys playing chess with Bollywood star Aamir Khan. Ronnie talked about the same thing in an interview,
I know how to play chess. Sometimes my daughter and I do this, or he plays with me when Amir comes over, but I haven’t beaten Amir yet, so that’s a bad thing. ”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education