Ronnie Screwvala

2021-12-25T16:21:54Z

2409:4054:2297:913A:DA0E:C741:2D99:E4C3:

{{short description|Indian film producer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ronnie Screwvala
| image = Ronnie Screwvala 2007 - still 18374 crop.jpg
| image_size = 150px
| other_names = Ronnie
| birth_name = Rohinton Soli Screwvala
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|09|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Bombay]], [[Maharashtra]], India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Indian
| ethnicity =
| years_active = 1981–Present
| occupation = Founder [[UTV Motion Pictures|UTV Group]] (Now [[Walt Disney India]]), Founder Trustee of Swades Foundation, Founder of Unilazer Ventures, Board of Advisor AIESEC India, Founder of [[RSVP Movies]], Chairman of upGrad
| spouse = [[Zarina Mehta]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_this-parsi-cook-s-secret-lies-in-her-grandma-s-recipes_1443867|title=This Parsi cook’s secret lies in her grandma’s recipes|author=Humaira Ansari|publisher=DNA India|date=27 September 2010|access-date=8 March 2013}}</ref>
| children = Trishya Screwvala
}}

'''Rohinton Soli''' "'''Ronnie'''" '''Screwvala''' (born 8 September 1956) is an Indian entrepreneur.

He has been named on [[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'s List of the 75 Most Influential People of the [[21st Century Fox|21st Century]]<ref name="esquirelist">{{cite news|title=Tata, Ambani, Mittal among most influential of 21st century|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/tata-ambani-mittal-among-most-influential-of-21st-century/articleshow/3499941.cms|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Economic Times|date=18 September 2008}}</ref> and ranked 78 among the 100 most influential people in the world on the [[Time 100]] (compiled by [[Time Magazine]], 2009).<ref name="timelist">{{cite news|title=Moot world's most influential; Sonia, Tata in top 100: Report|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/moot-worlds-most-influential-sonia-tata-in-top-100-report/articleshow/4456054.cms|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Economic Times|date=27 April 2009}}</ref> He was also listed amongst 25 Asia’s Most Powerful people by [[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune Magazine]].<ref name="asiaspowerful">{{cite news|last1=Lall|first1=Pawan|title=Bollywood's disruptor|url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/people/bollywoods-disruptor/101053|access-date=12 May 2018|date=5 May 2011|language=en}}</ref>

Based in [[Mumbai]], India, Ronnie pioneered [[Cable Television]], built a Media and Entertainment conglomerate ([[UTV Motion Pictures|UTV Software Communications]]) that partnered with [[News Corp (2013–present)|News Corp]], [[20th Century Fox]], [[The Walt Disney Company]] and [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] and later in 2012, he divested the company to [[Disney India|Disney]] for an enterprise value of US$1.4 billion.<ref name="utvdisney">{{cite news|last1=Subramanian|first1=Anusha|title=Behind Ronnie Screwvala's Rs 2,000-cr Walt Disney deal|url=https://www.businesstoday.in/management/leadership/ronnie-screwvala-sells-utv-to-walt-disney-for-rs-2000-cr/story/17395.html|access-date=12 May 2018|work=Business Today|date=8 December 2011}}</ref>

From 2013 onwards, he and his wife scaled their Non-Profit ''The Swades Foundation'' whose goal is to work with a million people in rural India, empower them and move them out of poverty every 6–7 years and then move to another geography.<ref name="swades">{{cite news|last1=Garfinkel|first1=Perry|title=After Building a Media Empire, What’s Next? Lifting One Million From Poverty|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/world/asia/india-ronnie-screwvala-poverty-swades-foundation.html|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The New York Times|date=30 December 2016}}</ref>

He has co-founded ''UpGrad'' which is into [[Online Education]] in the higher education and specialization sector,<ref name="upgrad">{{cite news|last1=Bansal|first1=Varsha|title=Ronnie Screwvala to infuse Rs 100 crore in UpGrad's B2B segment|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/money/ronnie-screwvala-to-infuse-rs-100-crore-in-upgrads-b2b-segment/articleshow/59434119.cms|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Economic Times|date=4 July 2017}}</ref> built a Sports company (U Sports) spanning [[Association football|Football]] / [[E Sports]] and [[Kabaddi]],<ref name="ucypher">{{cite news|last1=Pal|first1=Shubhodeep|title=How eSports got screen time in India|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet/how-esports-got-screen-time-in-india/article22430148.ece|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Hindu|date=12 January 2018|language=en-IN}}</ref> re-entered the media content space to build a creative content company in Movies and Digital Content (RSVP),<ref name="rsvp">{{cite news|last1=Laghate|first1=Gaurav|title=Former UTV boss, Ronnie Screwvala back in action with new film studio RSVP, keen to build creative team in-house|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/former-utv-boss-ronnie-screwvala-back-in-action-with-new-film-studio-rsvp-keen-to-build-creative-team-in-house/articleshow/61874947.cms|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Economic Times|date=1 December 2017}}</ref> authored a Book titled ''Dream with Your Eyes Open''<ref name="authorofbook">{{cite news|last1=Screwvala|first1=Ronnie|title=Excerpt: Dream With Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/VdaobdLKuegFFlD5wOOdQL/Excerpt-Dream-With-Your-Eyes-Open-An-Entrepreneurial-Journ.html|access-date=12 May 2018|work=Livemint|date=29 March 2015}}</ref> and through his investment company ''Unilazer Ventures'' he has been a significant [[private equity]] investor in Indian start ups with early stage investment and significant minority stakes.<ref name="unilazer">{{cite news|last1=Kazmin|first1=Amy|title=India’s tycoons and a new breed of family office|url=https://www.ft.com/content/39d9c776-a9cb-11e7-ab66-21cc87a2edde|access-date=12 May 2018|work=Financial Times|date=20 October 2017}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Screwvala was born in Bombay into a [[Parsis|Parsi]] family. His father was an executive at the British firm J L Morrison and Smith & Nephew. Screwvala schooled and went to college in Mumbai at [[Cathedral and John Connon School]] and [[Sydenham College]].<ref name="utvdisney" /> Screwvala had a keen interest in theatre while in school and acted in professional plays with Bombay theatre as a hobby. He played notable roles in [[Shakespeare]]’s [[Othello]] and [[Death of a Salesman]].<ref name="theatre">{{cite news|last1=Bhatia|first1=Rahul|title=The Interpreter|url=http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/interpreter|access-date=12 May 2018|work=Caravan Magazine|date=1 June 2012}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Screwvala is married to [[Zarina Mehta]], his second marriage. Zarina has been a co-founder in the media company UTV they founded, and now is the co-Trustee of their Philanthropic foundation; The Swades Foundation.<ref name= "athome">{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/73b3551a-d98d-11e2-98fa-00144feab7de.html#axzz3vuvZoiHT|author=James Crabtree|title=At home: Ronnie Screwvala|work=[[Financial Times]]|date=28 June 2013|access-date=12 May 2015}}</ref> They live in [[Breach Candy|Breach Candy, South Mumbai]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Shirin Kumaana-Wadia|url=http://parsikhabar.net/individuals/ronnie-screwvala-bollywood-to-hollywood/1015/|title=Ronnie Screwvala: Bollywood to Hollywood|publisher=Parsi Khabar|date=25 June 2008|access-date=8 March 2013}}</ref> His first wife, ''Manjula Nanavati'' and Screwvala have one daughter, ''Trishya Screwvala'', who runs her own Not For Profit, ''The Lighthouse Project'',<ref name="lighthouseproject">{{cite news|last1=VENKATRAMAN|first1=ARUN|title=Lighthouse full of hope|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150426/commentary-sunday-chronicle/article/lighthouse-full-hope|access-date=12 May 2018|work=Deccan Chronicle|date=26 April 2015|language=en}}</ref> and who is married to sports commentator [[Suhail Chandhok]].<ref name="trishyawedding">{{cite news|title=Trishya Screwvala to tie the knot with beau Suhail Chandok - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/trishya-screwvala-to-tie-the-knot-with-beau-suhail-chandok/articleshow/56622157.cms|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Times of India|date=29 January 2017}}</ref>

==Early days==
Opportunistic in the early days of his entrepreneurship, Screwvala founded a toothbrush manufacturing company.<ref name="athome" /> Screwvala’s is also credited with pioneering [[Cable TV]] in India (1981) at a time when there was a single terrestrial channel ([[Doordarshan]]) and grew that to multiple cities and most of the hotel chains in India.<ref name="utvdisney" />

==United Television (UTV) 1990-2012==
Screwvala founded [[UTV Motion Pictures|UTV]] and over the period grew it into a media conglomerate spanning a leading [[movie studio]], a Games Studio and creative content company<ref name="moviestudio">{{cite book|last1=Gopal|first1=Sangita|title=Conjugations: Marriage and Form in New Bollywood Cinema|date=2012|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226304274|page=75|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVO6GMT_OIAC|language=en}}</ref> that went public and listed on stock exchanges in 2005<ref name="athome" /> and into which [[Disney India|Disney]] gradually took a substantial stake until he divested the whole company to them in 2012.<ref name="utvdisney" />

==2013 onwards==
===The Swades Foundation===
Along with his wife Zarina, Ronnie has founded The Swades Foundation, named after the acclaimed film he produced, whose goal is to lift a million people out of poverty.

Presently, Swades is active in [[Raigad district]] in the state of [[Maharashtra]] in two thousand villages and involving half a million people. It is working on Water, Sanitation, Health, Education and the main focus is on Livelihood opportunities.<ref name="swades" />

===upGrad===
Screwvala co-founded upGrad, which is one of the largest Online Education companies in India - focused on the higher Education and Specialization sector.<ref name="upgrad" /> They focus majorly on [[Digital marketing|Digital Marketing]], [[Data analysis|Data Analytics]], Digital Technology Management, [[Data management|Data Driven Management]] and [[Product management|Product Management]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Upskilling and reskilling: Need of the hour to keep up with the fast-paced digital transformation|url=https://www.peoplematters.in/article/skilling/upskilling-and-reskilling-need-of-the-hour-to-keep-up-with-the-fast-paced-digital-transformation-25591|last=Sharma|first=Manoj|last2=Ltd|first2=People Matters Media Pvt|date=2020-05-08|website=People Matters|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-08}}</ref> upGrad has tie-ups with several colleges including MICA. <ref>{{Cite news|last=Vignesh|first=J.|title=UpGrad ties up with MICA to offer digital marketing programme|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/upgrad-ties-up-with-mica-to-offer-digital-marketing-programme/articleshow/58259609.cms|access-date=2021-01-12}}</ref>

===USports===
Screwvala co-founded U Sports with a focus on three sports, [[Kabaddi]] a popular sport in India and around Asia (his team [[U Mumba]] is one of the top teams in the 12 team ProKabaddi League), [[E Sports]] and in [[association football|Football]] where under the brand U Dreams the focus is to train and manage talent under various years of age for a sustained duration, and then manage their careers for the long term to play professionally in India and globally.<ref name="usportstraining">{{cite news|last1=Sikdar|first1=Shubhomoy|title=15 boys fulfil dream, to train with German football clubs|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/15-boys-fulfil-dream-to-train-with-german-football-clubs/article7612192.ece|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Hindu|date=3 September 2015|language=en-IN}}</ref>

===[[RSVP Movies]]===
RSVP is Screwvala’s re-entry into the media and entertainment industry. This time is focussed on developing its own scripts and screenplays and working with directors that share the common vision of storytelling.<ref name="rsvp" />

===Unilazer===

Unilazer was incorporated by Screwvala as a private equity company that has made investments in the Indian new economy companies and start-ups, with early stage investments with significant minority stake as also bringing with him his entrepreneurial experience to the founders. The sectors in which Unilazer has invested range from [[e commerce]] to a leading online eyewear company in India, and from AI and Bots to Agriculture to Microhousing Finance.<ref name="unilazerfunding">{{cite news|title=Ronnie Screwvala’s Unilazer Ventures hikes stake in online insurance comparison platform Easypolicy|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/sme/ronnie-screwvalas-unilazer-ventures-hikes-stake-in-online-insurance-comparison-platform-easypolicy/1161096/|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Financial Express|date=9 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="unilazerai">{{cite news|last1=Vignesh|first1=J.|title=Ratan Tata, Ronnie Screwvala invest in artificial intelligence startup Niki|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/ratan-tata-ronnie-screwvala-invest-in-artificial-intelligence-startup-niki/articleshow/52346254.cms|access-date=12 May 2018|work=The Economic Times|date=20 May 2016}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Films===
The following is a list of films produced/ co-produced by Screwvala<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0780098/ Ronnie Screwvala] ''imdb''</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year || Title
|-
|1998 || ''[[Such a Long Journey (film)|Such a Long Journey]]''
|-
|1997 || ''[[Dil Ke Jharoke Main]]''
|-
|2000 || ''[[Fiza]]''
|-
|2004 || ''[[Lakshya (2004 film)|Lakshya]]''
|-
|2004 || ''[[Swades]]''
|-
|2005 || ''[[D (film)|D]]''
|-
|2005 || ''[[Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh]]''
|-
|2005 || ''[[The Blue Umbrella (2005 film)|The Blue Umbrella]]''
|-
|2006 || ''[[Rang De Basanti]]''
|-
|2006 || ''[[Chup Chup Ke]]''
|-
|2006 || ''[[The Namesake (film)|The Namesake]]''
|-
|2006 || ''[[Khosla Ka Ghosla]]''
|-
|2007 || ''[[I Think I Love My Wife]]''
|-
|2007 || ''[[Hattrick (film)|Hattrick]]''
|-
|2007 || ''[[Life in a Metro]]''
|-
|2007 || ''[[Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[Phir Kabhi]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[Jodhaa Akbar]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[Aamir (film)|Aamir]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[A Wednesday]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[Poi Solla Porom]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[Welcome to Sajjanpur]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[Fashion (2008 film)|Fashion]]''
|-
|2008 || ''[[Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[Dev D]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[Delhi-6]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[ExTerminators (film)|ExTerminators]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[Harishchandrachi Factory]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[Agyaat|Agyaat: The Unknown]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[Kaminey|Kaminey: The Scoundrels ]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[Aagey Se Right]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[What's Your Raashee?]]''
|-
|2009 || ''[[Main Aurr Mrs Khanna]]''
|-
|2010 || ''[[Chance Pe Dance]]''
|-
|2010 || ''[[Peepli Live]]''
|-
|2010 || ''[[Udaan (2010 film)|Udaan]]''
|-
|2010 || ''[[I Hate Luv Storys]]''
|-
|2010 || ''[[Phillum City]]''
|-
|2010 || ''[[Paan Singh Tomar]]''
|-
|2010 || ''[[Guzaarish (2010 film)|Guzaarish]]''
|-
|2010 || ''[[Tees Maar Khan (2010 film)|Tees Maar Khan]]''
|-
|2011 || ''[[No One Killed Jessica]]''
|-
|2011 || ''[[7 Khoon Maaf]]''
|-
|2011 || ''[[Thank You (2011 film)|Thank You]]''
|-
|2011 || ''[[Delhi Belly (film)|Delhi Belly]]''
|-
|2011 || ''[[Chillar Party]]''
|-
|2011 || ''[[Deiva Thirumagal]]''
|-
|2011 || ''[[Muran (film)|Muran]]''
|-
|2011 || ''[[My Friend Pinto]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Vettai]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Vazhakku Enn 18/9]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Grandmaster (2012 film)|Grandmaster]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Arjun: The Warrior Prince]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Rowdy Rathore]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Mugamoodi]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Barfi!]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Heroine (2012 film)|Heroine]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Husbands in Goa]]''
|-
|2012 || ''[[Thaandavam]]''
|-
|2013 || ''[[ABCD: Any Body Can Dance|ABCD (Any Body Can Dance)]]''
|-
|2013 || ''[[Kai Po Che!]]''
|-
|2013 || ''[[Himmatwala (2013 film)|Himmatwala]]''
|-
|2013 || ''[[Settai (2013 film)|Settai]]''
|-
|2013 || ''[[Ghanchakkar (film)|Ghanchakkar]]''
|-
|2013 || ''[[Chennai Express]]''
|-
|2013 || ''[[Satyagraha (film)|Satyagraha]]''
|-
|2014 || ''[[Naan Sigappu Manithan (2014 film)|Naan Sigappu Manithan]]''
|-
|2014 || ''[[Sigaram Thodu]]''
|-
|2014 || ''[[Peter Gaya Kaam Se]]''
|-
|2015 || ''[[Yatchan]]''
|-
|2018 || ''[[Love per Square Foot]]''
|-
|2018 || ''[[Lust Stories (film)|Lust Stories]]''
|-
|2018 || ''[[Karwaan]]''
|-
|2018 || ''[[Pihu (film)|Pihu]]''
|-
|2018 || ''[[Kedarnath (film)|Kedarnath]]''
|-
|2019 || ''[[Uri: The Surgical Strike]]''
|-
|2019 || ''[[Sonchiriya]]''
|-
|2019 || ''[[Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota]]''
|-
|2019 || ''[[The Sky Is Pink]]''
|-
|2019 || ''[[Bhangra Paa Le (film)|Bhangra Paa Le]]''
|-
|2019 || ''[[Raat Akeli Hai]]''<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/it-s-a-wrap-for-nawazuddin-siddiqui-and-radhika-apte-starrer-raat-akeli-hai-1512243-2019-04-28|title=It's a wrap for Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte starrer Raat Akeli Hai|agency=Ist|newspaper=India Today}}</ref>
|-
|2020 || ''[[Ghost Stories (2020 film)|Ghost Stories]]''
|-
|2021
|''[[Pitta Kathalu]]''
|-
|2021
|''[[Dhamaka]''
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
! Year || Title1 || Notes
|-
|1994–1998 || ''[[Shanti (TV series)|Shanti]]'' ||
|-
|1997–1998 || ''[[Sea Hawks (TV series)|Sea Hawks]]'' ||
|-
|1998 || ''[[Saaya (Indian TV series)|Saaya]]'' ||
|-
|1998–2001 || ''[[Hip Hip Hurray (TV series)|Hip Hip Hurray]]'' ||
|-
|2000–2004 || ''[[Shaka Laka Boom Boom]]'' ||
|-
| 2000 || ''[[For Better or For Worse#Animated series and specials|For Better or For Worse]]'' || executive producer
|-
|2001–2003 || ''[[Sarhadein]]'' ||
|-
|2002–2008 || ''[[Bhabhi (TV series)|Bhabhi]]'' ||
|-
|2002–2005 || ''[[Kehta Hai Dil]]'' ||
|-
|2002–2004 || ''[[Khichdi (2002 TV series)|Khichdi]]'' || executive producer
|-
|2003 || ''[[Salanam]]'' ||
|-
|2003 || ''[[Toad Patrol]]'' || Miscellaneous crew
|-
|2003–2007 || ''[[Shararat (TV series)|Shararat]]'' ||
|-
|2004–2006 || ''[[Meher (TV series)|Meher]]'' ||
|-
| 2004 || ''[[Zee TV|Rooh]]'' ||
|-
|2004–2005 || ''[[Special Squad (Indian TV series)|Special Squad]]'' ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Zee Cafe|Bombay Talking]]'' ||
|-
|2005–2007 || ''[[Hero - Bhakti Hi Shakti Hai]]'' ||
|-
|2005–2006 || ''[[Sanya (TV series)|Sanya]]'' || executive producer
|-
|2006 || ''[[Kabhie To Nazar Milao]]'' ||
|}

==Awards==
{| class="wikitable"
! Year || Award || Category || Film
|-
|[[53rd National Film Awards|2007]] ||[[National Film Awards]] || [[National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment|Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment]] ||rowspan="2"|''[[Rang De Basanti]]''
|-
|[[52nd Filmfare Awards|2007]] ||rowspan="3"|[[Filmfare Awards]] ||rowspan="3"|[[Filmfare Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
|-
|[[54th Filmfare Awards|2009]] ||''[[Jodhaa Akbar]]''
|-
|[[58th Filmfare Awards|2013]] ||''[[Barfi!]]''
|-
|[[8th IIFA Awards|2007]] ||rowspan="3"|[[IIFA Awards]] ||rowspan="3"|[[IIFA Award for Best Film|Best Film]] ||''Rang De Basanti''
|-
|[[10th IIFA Awards|2009]] ||''Jodhaa Akbar''
|-
|[[14th IIFA Awards|2013]] ||''Barfi''
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Screwvala, Ronnie}}
[[Category:Parsi people from Mumbai]]
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Film producers from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian film distributors]]
[[Category:Indian television producers]]
[[Category:Filmfare Awards winners]]
[[Category:Tamil film producers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian businesspeople]]

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

Ronnie Screwvala