Rohinton Soli “Ronnie” Screwvala is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in India–not only did she establish companies, but also industries. Having pioneered cable television in a time when India had just one channel, to creating a billion-dollar media conglomerate, transforming online higher education, and empowering rural India, the story Screwvala tells is the story of the modern India and its ambition and development.
Acclaimed in the international circles of TIME, Esquire, and Fortune, Ronnie Screwvala occupies the corner of business, creativity, technology, and social impact.
Bio Snapshot
Born: 18 October 1968, Mumbai, India.
Known As: Ronnie Screwvala
Date of Birth: 8 September 1956
Age: 65 Years
Place of birth: Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra.
Nationality: Indian
Career: Businesswoman, Investor, Movie producer, Author, Philanthropist.
Net Worth: [?]6,500 crore (Hurun India Rich List, 2020)
Early Life and Education
Ronnie Screwvala was born in a Parsi family in Mumbai where education, discipline and international perspective was highly regarded. His father was an executive in British companies J L Morrison and Smith and Nephew, exposing Ronnie to well-established corporate cultures.
He attended Cathedral and John Connon School and then in Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics. He fell in love with theatre during his time in school and college, and appeared in professional productions on the stage such as Othello and Death of a Salesman. This early exposure to story telling would later become a hallmark to his career in the media.
Premature Entrepreneurial Tests.
Screwvala has experimented with entrepreneurship before the media and films.
Toothbrush Manufacturing Venture.
He established an enormous toothbrush manufacturing firm called Laser after his graduation and it became extremely popular. The brand still sells millions of toothbrushes each month decades after the fact, which makes it one of the Indian success stories of quiet FMCG brands.
Innovation in the Cable Television in India (1981).
Ronnie Screwvala pioneered cable television in the year 1981, when Doordarshan was the only Indian TV channel. He established cable networks in several cities and luxury hotel chains and essentially revamped the content consumption pattern of the Indians. This move gave him fame as an innovator of the cable television revolution of India.
UTV: Developing a Media juggernaut (1990-2012).
Ronnie established United Television (UTV) in 1990 which became one of the strongest media conglomerates in India.
Growth and Global Partnerships.
UTV expanded into:
- Television production
- Film studios
- Animation and gaming
- Digital and creative information.
The company was in collaboration with international giants like:
- The Walt Disney Company
- 20th Century Fox
- News Corp
- Bloomberg
UTV started its trade as a publicly traded company in 2005 and in 2012 Disney purchased the whole company in a record breaking deal of USD 1.4 billion.
Classic Cinema and Artistry.
UTV and then RSVP, under the leadership of Ronnie Screwvala, have created some of the most influential films in Indian cinema:
- Swades (2004)
- Rang De Basanti (2006)
- Jodha Akbar (2008)
- Barfi! (2012)
- Paan Singh Tomar (2010)
- Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)
These movies received National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, IIFA Awards and international awards(BAFTA nomination).
RSVP Movies: A Story Backlash.
Ronnie, having left UTV, got back to creating content under the RSVP Movies brand, working on original scripts, story-driven narratives, and meaningful cinema. RSVP believes in creative integrity rather than scale, and works with filmmakers with a long-term narrative.
The Swades Foundation: Meaning More than Money.
In 2013, Ronnie and his wife Zarina Mehta sold The Swades Foundation which is a philanthropic endeavor that seeks to eliminate poverty in rural areas.
Impact at Scale
Active in 2,000 villages
Reaching 500,000+ people
Focus areas:
o Water and sanitation
o Healthcare
o Education
o Sustainable livelihoods
The long-term objective of the foundation is to help one million individuals come out of poverty on a 6-7 year basis by the time it will have to venture into new areas.
upGrad: changing the Higher Education.
Ronnie Screwvala is one of the founders of upGrad, which is currently among the largest online higher education platforms in India.
What upGrad Offers
Programs in:
o Data Science
o Artificial Intelligence
o Digital Marketing
Technology and Product Management.
Partnerships with:
o IIT Madras
o IIIT Bangalore
o BITS Pilani
o MICA
o Cambridge Judge Business School.
UpGrad also made a key move in recent times by bidding to acquire assets of Byju parent company, marking a major consolidation of the edtech market in India.
Unilazer ventures and Future investments.
Using the Unilazer Ventures, Ronnie Screwvala has been investing in the new-age economy of India that includes:
- AI and deeptech
- Space-tech startups
- E-commerce
- Agriculture technology
- Micro-housing finance
He also has started a $50 million personal fund in early-stage AI and space startups.
USports: Developing the Sporting India Ecosystem.
Ronnie co-founded U Sports, which was concentrated on:
Kabaddi (U Mumba – Pro Kabaddi League)
E-sports
Football with the UDreams program.
The idea is to recognise the young talent at a tender age and develop the athletes with the long run professional support.
Personal Life
First Wife: Manjula Nanavati (divorced)
Second Wife: Zarina Mehta (co-founder of UTV, trustee of Swades Foundation)
Daughter: Trishya Screwvala (The Lighthouse Project Founder)
Son in law: Suhail Chandhok (sports commentator)
The family lives in Breach Candy, South Mumbai.
Net Worth and Wealth Details
His estimated net worth at the Hurun India Rich List 2020 is [?]6,500 crore, which ranks him among the most successful Indian self-made entrepreneurs and investors.
Sources of Wealth
The wealth of Ronnie Screwvala has been accumulated in several high-impact projects and not one business:
UTV Software Communications departure (2012):
His greatest financial achievement was when The Walt Disney Company purchased UTV at USD 1.4 billion as one of the most successful media selloffs in India.
Unilazer Ventures:
Screwvala is a major minority investor in a number of Indian new-economy firms in the AI, e-commerce, fintech, agritech, and micro-housing finance through his personal venture capital and investment company.
upGrad:
Screwvala, as a co-founder of upGrad, one of the largest online higher education platforms in India, still enjoys the benefits of the fast growth of the edtech ecosystem in India.
RSVP Movies:
His content studio creates commercially successful and critically acclaimed films, to his financial returns and brand value.
Personal Investment Fund:
He has also launched a $50 million personal fund, to invest in early-stage AI, deeptech, and space-tech startups, which places him well to grow further based on technology.
Thought Leadership and Books.
His books include:
- Dream With Your Eyes Open
- Skill It, Kill It
- Up Your Game
His books tend to concentrate on the issues of entrepreneurship, education reforms and self-reliance in India.
Awards and International Discovery.
- The 75 most influential people of the 21 st century by Esquire.
- The 100 most influential people of the 20 th century by TIME Magazine.
- The 25 most influential people in Asia by Fortune.
- Featured on the Forbes cover (2020)
Legacy: An institutional builder.
The legacy of Ronnie Screwvala is not simply the amount of wealth, but the institutions created by him, the stories told, and the lives transformed. Whether it is cable television, cinema, education, or rural empowerment, he still has a vision and purpose on shaping the future of India.
Ronnie Screwvala – Detailed Biography Table
Personal Information
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Rohinton Soli Screwvala |
| Popular Name | Ronnie Screwvala |
| Nickname | Ronnie |
| Date of Birth | 8 September 1956 (Saturday) |
| Age | 65 Years |
| Birthplace | Bombay, Maharashtra (now Mumbai), India |
| Hometown | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
| Community | Parsi |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, Investor, Film Producer, Author, Philanthropist |
| Famous For | Pioneering Cable Television in India; Founder of UTV; Co-founder of upGrad |
| Current Residence | Breach Candy, South Mumbai, Maharashtra |
Physical Appearance
| Attribute | Details |
| Height | 180 cm (1.80 m / 5’11”) |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
Education
| Level | Institution |
| School | Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai |
| College | Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai |
| Qualification | Graduate |
Family & Relationships
| Relation | Details |
| Father | Name not known (Executive at J L Morrison & Smith & Nephew) |
| Mother | Name not known |
| First Wife | Manjula Nanavati (Divorced) |
| Second Wife | Zarina Mehta (Co-founder, UTV; Co-trustee, Swades Foundation) |
| Daughter | Trishya Screwvala |
| Son-in-law | Suhail Chandhok (Sports Commentator & TV Presenter) |
Career & Business Journey
| Year / Phase | Milestone |
| Early Career | Founded Laser toothbrush manufacturing company |
| 1981 | Pioneered cable television in India |
| 1985 | Hosted Doordarshan quiz show Mashoor Mahal |
| 1990–2012 | Founder & Chairman, UTV Software Communications |
| 2005 | UTV listed on Indian stock exchanges |
| 2012 | Sold UTV to The Walt Disney Company (USD 1.4 billion) |
| 2013 | Scaled Swades Foundation |
| 2014 | Founded RSVP Movies |
| 2015 | Co-founded upGrad |
| Present | Chairman, Unilazer Ventures; Investor in AI, EdTech, Deeptech & Space-tech |
Companies & Organizations
| Type | Name |
| Media Company | UTV Software Communications |
| Film Studio | RSVP Movies |
| EdTech Platform | upGrad |
| Investment Firm | Unilazer Ventures |
| Sports Company | U Sports |
| NGO | The Swades Foundation |
Awards & Achievements
| Award / Recognition | Year |
| Esquire – 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century | 2008 |
| TIME 100 – Most Influential People in the World | 2009 |
| Fortune – 25 Most Powerful People in Asia | — |
| National Film Award – Best Popular Film (Rang De Basanti) | 2007 |
| Filmfare & IIFA – Best Film (Rang De Basanti) | 2007 |
| Filmfare & IIFA – Best Film (Jodhaa Akbar) | 2009 |
| Filmfare & IIFA – Best Film (Barfi!) | 2013 |
| BAFTA Nomination – Best Non-English Film (Rang De Basanti) | — |
| Featured on Forbes Cover | 2020 |
Books Authored
| Book Title |
| Dream With Your Eyes Open |
| Skill It, Kill It |
| Up Your Game |
Net Worth & Wealth
| Category | Details |
| Estimated Net Worth | ₹6,500 Crore |
| Source | Hurun India Rich List 2020 |
| Primary Income Sources | UTV exit, upGrad, Unilazer Ventures, RSVP Movies |
| Major Exit | Sale of UTV to Disney (USD 1.4 billion) |
| Personal Investment Fund | $50 million (AI, Deeptech, Space-tech) |
Hobbies & Interests
| Interest | Details |
| Hobbies | Reading, Watching Movies, Storytelling |
| Sports Interest | Chess |
| Pets | Dogs – Sprite and Skye |
| Other Interests | Theatre, Writing, Rural Development |
Controversy
| Issue | Details |
| Multiplex VPF Dispute | Criticized high Virtual Print Fees charged by multiplex chains; defended stance before CCI and SEBI |