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Ronnie Screwvala

Overview

Rohinton "Ronnie" Screwvala is an Indian entrepreneur, film producer and philanthropist, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the modern Indian media and entertainment industry. He is the founder of UTV Group, which he built into one of India's largest media conglomerates before its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company. He later co-founded the digital learning platform upGrad and the production house RSVP Movies, and runs the Swades Foundation, a philanthropic organisation focused on rural development in Maharashtra.

Key facts

Full name Rohinton Soli Screwvala
Known as Ronnie Screwvala
Nationality Indian
Community Parsi
Occupation Entrepreneur, film producer, philanthropist, author
Spouse Zarina Mehta
Notable ventures UTV Group, RSVP Movies, upGrad, Unilazer Ventures, Swades Foundation
Based in Mumbai, Maharashtra

Background

Screwvala was born into a Parsi family in Mumbai and was educated at Cathedral and John Connon School before going on to Sydenham College, Mumbai. In his early years he was associated with theatre, performing in English-language stage productions in Mumbai during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His first commercial venture was a toothbrush manufacturing business run by his family, which he expanded.

Career

Early ventures and cable television

In the early 1980s, Screwvala entered the cable television business, launching one of India's earliest cable TV services in Mumbai well before the satellite television boom. This early move into broadcasting laid the foundation for his subsequent media businesses.

UTV Group

Screwvala founded United Television (UTV) in 1990, alongside his wife Zarina Mehta and Deven Khote. The company began as a content producer for Indian television, creating programming for Doordarshan and later for satellite channels such as STAR TV. UTV diversified into film production, distribution, animation, gaming, broadcasting and digital media over the following two decades.

Among its notable subsidiaries and divisions were UTV Motion Pictures, UTV Spotboy, UTV World Movies, Bindass and the children's channel Hungama TV. UTV co-produced or financed Indian films such as Rang De Basanti, Swades, A Wednesday, Jodhaa Akbar, Dev.D, Barfi!, Kaminey, Rajneeti and Chennai Express, as well as international productions including The Namesake and The Happening.

The Walt Disney Company began acquiring a stake in UTV from 2006 onwards and completed the takeover in 2012, delisting UTV Software Communications from Indian stock exchanges. The deal was among the largest media transactions in India at the time.

Post-UTV ventures

After exiting Disney in 2013, Screwvala founded Unilazer Ventures, a private investment firm focused on technology, media, sports, healthcare and education. Through Unilazer, he invested in and incubated several businesses.

  • upGrad – co-founded in 2015, an online higher education and professional learning platform that has since grown into one of India's prominent edtech unicorns.
  • RSVP Movies – a film production company launched in 2017, which has produced films including Uri: The Surgical Strike, The Sky Is Pink, Mission Mangal (co-produced) and Sam Bahadur.
  • U Sports – sports management and ownership interests, including the Pro Kabaddi League franchise U Mumba and a stake in the Indian Super League football club Mumbai City FC (later sold).
  • Lessons in Forever and Zaakpay – among other early-stage investments in consumer and fintech businesses.

Philanthropy

Screwvala and his wife Zarina established the Swades Foundation, evolving from earlier philanthropic work under the SHARE Trust. The foundation focuses on rural empowerment in the Raigad and Nashik districts of Maharashtra, working in areas such as water and sanitation, health, education, and economic development, with a stated aim of lifting one million people out of poverty in defined geographical clusters.

Writing

Screwvala is the author of Dream With Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey (2017), a book on entrepreneurship drawing on his business experiences, and Skill It, Kill It: Up Your Game (2022), focused on professional skill-building.

Timeline

  • Early 1980s – Enters cable television in Mumbai; involved with English theatre.
  • 1990 – Founds United Television (UTV) with Zarina Mehta and Deven Khote.
  • 2000s – UTV expands into films, animation, gaming and broadcasting.
  • 2006 – The Walt Disney Company takes an initial stake in UTV.
  • 2012 – Disney completes acquisition of UTV; the company is delisted.
  • 2013 – Screwvala steps down from Disney UTV; launches Unilazer Ventures.
  • 2014 – Acquires the Pro Kabaddi League franchise U Mumba.
  • 2015 – Co-founds upGrad.
  • 2017 – Founds RSVP Movies; publishes Dream With Your Eyes Open.
  • 2019 – RSVP's Uri: The Surgical Strike becomes one of the year's biggest Hindi box office successes.

Recognition

Screwvala has been recognised by Indian and international publications for his role in the media and entertainment industry. He has appeared on the Forbes list of Asia's most powerful businesspeople and was profiled by Esquire as one of its "Men of the Year". He has also received industry awards for film production and entrepreneurship.

Significance

Screwvala is credited with helping professionalise and corporatise Indian film and television production at a time when both industries were dominated by family-run, unorganised structures. UTV's content-led approach contributed to a generation of mid-budget and crossover Hindi films in the 2000s, and the Disney-UTV transaction marked a turning point for foreign investment in Indian media. His subsequent work in edtech through upGrad and in rural philanthropy through Swades has extended his influence beyond entertainment.

References

  • Screwvala, Ronnie. Dream With Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey. Rupa Publications, 2017.
  • Screwvala, Ronnie. Skill It, Kill It: Up Your Game. HarperCollins India, 2022.
  • Press releases and filings related to The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of UTV Software Communications.
  • Public communications of the Swades Foundation, upGrad and RSVP Movies.