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Ronnie Screwvala

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Ronnie Screwvala
Born
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Founder UTV Group (Now Walt Disney India), Founder Trustee of Swades Foundation, Founder of Unilazer Ventures, Board of Advisor AIESEC India
Years active1981- Present
SpouseZarina Mehta[1]
ChildrenTrishya Screwvala

Rohinton Soli "Ronnie" Screwvala is a first generation Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist.

He has been named on Esquire's List of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21 st Century[2] and ranked 78 among the 100 most influential people in the world on the Time 100 (compiled by Time Magazine, 2009).[3] He was also listed amongst 25 Asia’s Most Powerful people by Fortune Magazine.[4] and titled the Jack Warner of India by Newsweek.[5]

Based in Mumbai, India, Ronnie pioneered Cable TV , built a Media and Entertainment conglomerate (UTV Software Communications) that partnered with News Corp, 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company and Bloomberg and later in 2012 he divested the company to Disney for an enterprise value of US$ 1.4 billion.[6]

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.[7] Has co-founded UpGrad which is into Online Education in the higher education and specialization sector[8], built a Sports company (U Sports) spanning Football / E Sports and Kabaddi[9], re-entered the media content space to build a creative content company in Movies and Digital Content (RSVP),[10] authored a Book titled Dream with Your Eyes Open[11] 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.[12]

Early life and education

Screwvala was born in Mumbai into a Parsi family. His father was an executive at the British firm J L Morrison and Smith & Nephew. Screwvala schooled and colleged in Mumbai at Cathedral and John Connon School and Sydenham College.[6] 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.[13]

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.[14] They live in Breach Candy, South Mumbai.[15] His first wife, Manjula Nanavati and Screwvala have one daughter, Trishya Screwvala, who runs her own Not For Profit, The Lighthouse Project,[16] and who is married to Sports Commentator Suhail Chandhok.[17]

Career

Network

Screwvala started off as a local cable TV operator in Mumbai under the company Network in 1981.[18] At the time when there was only Doordarshan, the state television provider, Network offered a three-hour video channel showing movies to some homes in Maker Towers in the affluent Cuffe Parade area of Mumbai.[19] He also started producing advertisements and content for Doordarshan with serials like Lifeline and Shanti.[20]

United Television videos (UTV)

Screwvala founded the UTV Group in 1990 providing television content to broadcasters. In a span of less than 2 decades, UTV expanded into broadcasting, gaming, film and other businesses. The first film produced by his company was Dil Ke Jharoke Main. He also launched the Hungama Channel in 2004 which was highly successful and become one of the leading children's television channels in India UTV group became listed on the Indian Stock Exchange in 2005.[20] In February 2012, The Walt Disney Co. took over UTV and Screwvala stayed on as MD of the Walt Disney Company India. In October 2013, Screwvala handed over the reins to protégé Siddharth Roy Kapur and exited the company he had founded.

UMumba

In 2014, Ronnie Screwvala became the owner of U Mumba - the Mumbai Kabaddi that plays in the Pro Kabaddi League. They were the runners up in this First year and winner of Pro Kabaddi League 2015 and Kabaddi has become the second most watched sport in India on TV after cricket.[21]

Other ventures

Screwvala already holds a 40 percent stake in INI farms and aims to produce premium farm products. His e-commerce ventures include zivame.com, a lingerie e-store and lenskart (lenskart.com) an eyewear shopping portal and he is in the process of developing an e-shopping website for furniture as well. He has also forayed into online education with UpGrad, an online education platform offering new ages courses to working professionals.[22]

Arré

In January 2016, Screwvala promoted an online entertainment content platform called Arré along with B. Sai Kumar, Ajay Chacko, and Sanjay Ray Chaudhary through their joint-venture digital media company, UDigital.[23][24] The subscription- and branded content-based startup produces and publishes videos, audio series, web series, documentaries, and doodles through its online channel.[25] However, in April 2016, Screwvala left the venture after which Enam Group acquired his stake.[26]

RSVP Productions

Screwvala's independent production company is set to release its first film, Anand Tiwari's Love Per Square Foot starring Vicky Kaushal and Angira Dhar in April 2018.[27] His next venture is a film titled 'Uri' about the 2016 Uri attack to be directed by Aditya Dhar. The film will star Vicky Kaushal and is set to release in September 2018.[28]

Philanthropy

Swades

Screwvala laid the foundation of Society to Heal Aid Restore Educate (SHARE) for rural development in Maharashtra.[29]

Swades, under his former brand name SHARE, in the last five years has provided 39,000 people in 139 villages in rural Maharashtra with drinking water. Through Swades, Screwvala sees empowering communities with choices for themselves and their families, the capability of transforming their own lives.[30]

On 30 September 2014, Screwvala was awarded the GQ Philanthropist of the Year for his work with Swades Foundation. [31]

Unilazer Ventures Ltd

Screwvala owns a private equity business called Unilazer Ventures Ltd.[32] Unilazer has invested in Dogspot, Zivame, Lenskart, Shopclues, niki.ai among others.[33][34][35][36][37]

Filmography

The following is a list of films produced/ co-produced by Screwvala[38]

Year Title
1998 Such a Long Journey
1997 Dil Ke Jharoke Main
2000 Fiza
2004 Lakshya
2004 Swades
2005 D
2005 Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh
2005 The Blue Umbrella
2006 Rang De Basanti
2006 Chup Chup Ke
2006 The Namesake
2006 Khosla Ka Ghosla
2007 I Think I Love My Wife
2007 Hattrick
2007 Life in a Metro
2007 Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal
2008 Phir Kabhi
2008 Jodhaa Akbar
2008 Aamir
2008 The Happening
2008 A Wednesday
2008 Poi Solla Porom
2008 Welcome to Sajjanpur
2008 Fashion
2008 Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
2009 Dev D
2009 Delhi-6
2009 Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge
2009 ExTerminators
2009 Harishchandrachi Factory
2009 Agyaat: The Unknown
2009 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 Hook Ya Crook
2010 Udaan
2010 I Hate Luv Storys
2010 Phillum City
2010 Paan Singh Tomar
2010 Guzaarish
2010 Tees Maar Khan
2011 No One Killed Jessica
2011 7 Khoon Maaf
2011 Thank You
2011 Delhi Belly
2011 Chillar Party
2011 Deiva Thirumagal
2011 Muran
2011 My Friend Pinto
2012 Vazhakku Enn 18/9
2012 Grandmaster
2012 Arjun: The Warrior Prince
2012 Rowdy Rathore
2012 Mugamoodi
2012 Barfi!
2012 Heroine
2012 Husbands in Goa
2012 Thaandavam
2013 ABCD (Any Body Can Dance)
2013 Kai Po Che!
2013 Himmatwala
2013 Settai
2013 Ghanchakkar
2013 Chennai Express
2013 Satyagraha
2014 Naan Sigappu Manithan
2014 Sigaram Thodu
2014 Peter Gaya Kaam Se
2015 Yatchan
2018 Love per Square Foot

Awards

Year Award Category Film
2007 National Film Awards Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment Rang De Basanti
2007 Filmfare Awards Best Film
2009 Jodhaa Akbar
2013 Barfi!
2007 IIFA Awards Best Film Rang De Basanti
2009 Jodhaa Akbar
2013 Barfi

References

  1. ^ Humaira Ansari (27 September 2010). "This Parsi cook's secret lies in her grandma's recipes". DNA India. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Tata, Ambani, Mittal among most influential of 21st century". The Economic Times. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Moot world's most influential; Sonia, Tata in top 100: Report". The Economic Times. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  4. ^ Lall, Pawan (5 May 2011). "Bollywood's disruptor". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Bollywood takes on Hollywood: Newsweek". https://www.hindustantimes.com/. 5 September 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2018. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
  6. ^ a b Subramanian, Anusha (8 December 2011). "Behind Ronnie Screwvala's Rs 2,000-cr Walt Disney deal". Business Today. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  7. ^ Garfinkel, Perry (30 December 2016). "After Building a Media Empire, What's Next? Lifting One Million From Poverty". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  8. ^ Bansal, Varsha (4 July 2017). "Ronnie Screwvala to infuse Rs 100 crore in UpGrad's B2B segment". The Economic Times. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  9. ^ Pal, Shubhodeep (12 January 2018). "How eSports got screen time in India". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  10. ^ Laghate, Gaurav (1 December 2017). "Former UTV boss, Ronnie Screwvala back in action with new film studio RSVP, keen to build creative team in-house". The Economic Times. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  11. ^ Screwvala, Ronnie (29 March 2015). "Excerpt: Dream With Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey". Livemint. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  12. ^ Kazmin, Amy (20 October 2017). "India's tycoons and a new breed of family office". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  13. ^ Bhatia, Rahul (1 June 2012). "The Interpreter". Caravan Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  14. ^ James Crabtree (28 June 2013). "At home: Ronnie Screwvala". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  15. ^ Shirin Kumaana-Wadia (25 June 2008). "Ronnie Screwvala: Bollywood to Hollywood". Parsi Khabar. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  16. ^ VENKATRAMAN, ARUN (26 April 2015). "Lighthouse full of hope". https://www.deccanchronicle.com/. Retrieved 12 May 2018. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
  17. ^ "Trishya Screwvala to tie the knot with beau Suhail Chandok - Times of India". The Times of India. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference caravan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Behind Ronnie Screwvala's Rs 2,000-cr Walt Disney deal". Business Today. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Ronnie Screwvala Biography". I Love India.
  21. ^ Shailendra Awasthi (1 September 2014). "Jaipur Pink Panthers beat U Mumba to win Pro Kabaddi title". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  22. ^ Madhav Chanchani (24 July 2015). "Ronnie Screwvala's online education venture UpGrad is launching a course in entrepreneurship". ET Chandigarh. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  23. ^ Choudhary, Vidhi (22 October 2015), Will Ronnie Screwvala’s bold new bet with Arré pay off?, Livemint, retrieved 6 May 2016
  24. ^ "Arré", Arré, January 2016, retrieved 6 May 2016
  25. ^ Arre' to Launch India's First Digital Reality Series, Business Wire India, 2 November 2015, retrieved 6 May 2016
  26. ^ "Enam picks up minority stake in Ronnie Screwvala-backed Arre", Money Control, 26 April 2016, retrieved 10 May 2016
  27. ^ http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2017/aug/09/ronnie-screwvalas-first-independent-production-love-per-square-foot-to-release-on-april-20-2018-1640580.html
  28. ^ http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/bollywood-to-make-film-on-indias-surgical-strike-against-pakistan/articleshow/60750673.cms
  29. ^ Sreelatha Menon (8 December 2012). "Come home to the Village". Business Standard. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  30. ^ "Society to Heal Aid Restore Educate". Swades Foundation. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  31. ^ http://www.gqindia.com/gq-initiatives/men-year/2014-gq-men-year-awards-winners
  32. ^ "Unilazer Ventures Private Limited - Value Added Strategic Investor". Unilazer.com. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  33. ^ "Tata backs pet portal DogSpot - Times of India". Retrieved 2016-07-28.
  34. ^ "Ratan Tata backs animal lovers' portal DogSpot". www.vccircle.com. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
  35. ^ Ghosh, Aparna (2013-12-11). "Zivame raises $6 million from Unilazer Ventures". Retrieved 2016-07-28.
  36. ^ "Valyoo Tech raises Rs 53 cr from Unilazer, IDG". Retrieved 2016-07-28.
  37. ^ "HDFC Bank, Niki.ai tie up for chatbot banking". Times of India. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  38. ^ Ronnie Screwvala imdb
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