Ronnie Screwvala
Encyclopedia
Ronnie Screwvala is an India
n film producer
and CEO and founder chairman of 'UTV Group' (UTV Software Communications
, UTVi
, and UTV Motion Pictures
) which recently partnered with Walt Disney
, Fox Searchlight, Sony
and Will Smith
's Overbrook Entertainment
production company, expanding its global reach.
In September 2008, he was named amongst, Esquire
s List of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century. In 2009 the Time 100
(annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world) compiled by Time
magazine, he ranked at 78.
, in June 1981. The network initially provided three hours of video channel service featuring movies broadcast via cable to homes in the Maker Towers in the posh Cuffe Parade
, Mumbai at a monthly rate of Rs 200. Within a few years the network had subscribed thousands of households in the area. With the success of his cable network, he started producing advertisements, making films, and selling airtime on India's national network, Doordarshan
(DD), which paved the way for production of TV serials. Screwvala produced India's daily soap operas in 1994 and eventually moved into films, animations and interactive programs (games). Two of the more famous television serials to his credit are Lifeline and Shanti.
In 1990 Screwvala founded UTV Software Communications
and then moved into film production, movie distribution, family-oriented TV channels and, later, web content. After 2005 when UTV became a publicly traded company in on the Bombay Stock Exchange
, it experienced rapid expansion over the ensuing three years.
In 1996, UTV moved into film distribution and then in 1997 Screwvala produced the feature film Dil Ke Jharoke Main
starring Manisha Koirala
.
In 2004, UTV made its first foray into distinctly Indian television programming with Hungama TV
, a Hindi children's channel that faced two global giants — Disney and Time Warner
. The company acquired Japanese animation shows and produced local language show(s), moving to the No. 1 position in programming created for children.
In February 2008, Disney's Southeast Asian subsidiary, doubled its stake in UTV from less than 15% to more than 30% and launched UTVi
, an English business news channel.
Screwvala has been instrumental in building closer ties with Hollywood. He co-produced the Chris Rock comedy I Think I Love My Wife
and M Night Shyamalan’s The Happening
. UTV backed Mira Nair's The Namesake
, and the film grossed more cash in the USA than any other Indian production has earned abroad to date.
, Mumbai
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and CEO and founder chairman of 'UTV Group' (UTV Software Communications
UTV Software Communications
UTV Software Communications Ltd., also known as United Television or UTV, is an Indian media and entertainment company owned by The Walt Disney Company India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.-History:...
, UTVi
UTVi
Bloomberg UTV is a 24-hour English language business and financial broadcast news outlet in India, owned and operated by UTV Software Communications in strategic partnership with Bloomberg Television, owned by Bloomberg L.P. It was founded by Ronnie Screwvala...
, and UTV Motion Pictures
UTV Motion Pictures
UTV Motion Pictures Plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Software Communications Ltd. , based in London media and entertainment production company...
) which recently partnered with Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, Fox Searchlight, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
's Overbrook Entertainment
Overbrook Entertainment
Overbrook Entertainment is an American entertainment company based in Beverly Hills, California, USA. The production company was started by Will Smith between 1997 and 1999, about the same time the production for Wild Wild West was underway....
production company, expanding its global reach.
In September 2008, he was named amongst, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
s List of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century. In 2009 the Time 100
Time 100
Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as assembled by Time. First published in 1999 as a result of a debate among several academics, the list has become an annual event.-History and format:...
(annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world) compiled by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, he ranked at 78.
Career
Ronnie (Rohinton) Screwvala started his own career by launching the first organised cable TV venture in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, in June 1981. The network initially provided three hours of video channel service featuring movies broadcast via cable to homes in the Maker Towers in the posh Cuffe Parade
Cuffe Parade
Cuffe Parade is an upmarket neighbourhood in South Mumbai. It is in the southernmost region of the city just north of Navy Nagar. To the north of Cuffe Parade lies Badhwar Park, Ambedkar Nagar the slum area of the Cuffe Parade.-History:...
, Mumbai at a monthly rate of Rs 200. Within a few years the network had subscribed thousands of households in the area. With the success of his cable network, he started producing advertisements, making films, and selling airtime on India's national network, Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
(DD), which paved the way for production of TV serials. Screwvala produced India's daily soap operas in 1994 and eventually moved into films, animations and interactive programs (games). Two of the more famous television serials to his credit are Lifeline and Shanti.
In 1990 Screwvala founded UTV Software Communications
UTV Software Communications
UTV Software Communications Ltd., also known as United Television or UTV, is an Indian media and entertainment company owned by The Walt Disney Company India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.-History:...
and then moved into film production, movie distribution, family-oriented TV channels and, later, web content. After 2005 when UTV became a publicly traded company in on the Bombay Stock Exchange
Bombay Stock Exchange
The Bombay Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located on Dalal Street, Mumbai and is the oldest stock exchange in Asia. The equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the BSE was 1.63 trillion as of December 2010, making it the 4th largest stock exchange in Asia and the 8th largest...
, it experienced rapid expansion over the ensuing three years.
In 1996, UTV moved into film distribution and then in 1997 Screwvala produced the feature film Dil Ke Jharoke Main
Dil Ke Jharoke Main
Dil Ke Jharoke Main is a 1997 Indian film directed by Ashim Bhattacharya.-References:* at movietalkies.com...
starring Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala
Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
.
In 2004, UTV made its first foray into distinctly Indian television programming with Hungama TV
Hungama TV
Hungama TV is a TV channel for kids in India based in Mumbai. Originally a subsidiary of UTV Software Communications launched in 2004, the channel was sold to Disney in 2006. The channel retained its own identity and is helping to increase Disney's presence in India...
, a Hindi children's channel that faced two global giants — Disney and Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. The company acquired Japanese animation shows and produced local language show(s), moving to the No. 1 position in programming created for children.
In February 2008, Disney's Southeast Asian subsidiary, doubled its stake in UTV from less than 15% to more than 30% and launched UTVi
UTVi
Bloomberg UTV is a 24-hour English language business and financial broadcast news outlet in India, owned and operated by UTV Software Communications in strategic partnership with Bloomberg Television, owned by Bloomberg L.P. It was founded by Ronnie Screwvala...
, an English business news channel.
Screwvala has been instrumental in building closer ties with Hollywood. He co-produced the Chris Rock comedy I Think I Love My Wife
I Think I Love My Wife
I Think I Love My Wife is a romantic comedy-drama 2007 film directed by and starring Chris Rock and Kerry Washington. Rock co-wrote and produced the film...
and M Night Shyamalan’s The Happening
The Happening (2008 film)
The Happening is a 2008 science fiction thriller film written, co-produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan that follows a woman, her husband, the husband's best friend, and the friend's daughter as they try to escape from an inexplicable natural disaster. The plot revolves around a mysterious...
. UTV backed Mira Nair's The Namesake
The Namesake (film)
The Namesake is a 2006 film which was released in the United States on March 9, 2007, following screenings at film festivals in Toronto and New York City. It was directed by Mira Nair and is based upon the novel of the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri, who appeared in the movie. Sooni Taraporevala...
, and the film grossed more cash in the USA than any other Indian production has earned abroad to date.
Personal life
Screwvala lives with his wife Zarina who is a successful executive and co-founder of UTV. They live in Breach CandyBreach Candy
Bhulabhai Desai Road, better known as Breach Candy or Warden Road, is a niche up-market residential and semi-commercial locality of South Mumbai. Home to many of Mumbai's affluent class, it is also the location for the in Mumbai....
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Awards
- Filmfare AwardsFilmfare AwardsThe Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
- Best MovieFilmfare Best Movie AwardThe Filmfare Best Film Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.The award was first given in 1954. Here is a list of the award winners and the nominees of the respective years...
- 2007: Rang De BasantiRang De BasantiRang De Basanti is a 2006 Indian drama film written and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. It features an ensemble cast comprising Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth Narayan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and British actress Alice Patten in the lead roles...
: UTV Motion Pictures - Ronnie Screwvala, with Rakeysh Omprakash MehraRakeysh Omprakash MehraRakeysh Omprakash Mehra is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti , for which he won Best Director awards at the 2006 Filmfare Awards and National Film Awards and received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film...
(Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures) - 2008: Jodhaa Akbar: UTV Motion Pictures - Ronnie Screwvala, with Ashutosh GowarikerAshutosh GowarikerAshutosh Gowariker is an Indian film director, actor, writer and producer. He is known for directing the films Lagaan , Swades , Jodhaa Akbar , What's Your Raashee and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey...
(Ashutosh Gowariker Productions)
- 2007: Rang De Basanti
- Best Movie
External links
- UTV Software Communications Ltd. Official website
- UTV Motion pictures Official website
- List of Subsidiaries & Joint Venture Companies
- List of Board of Directors
- Official Press Releases of UTV Software Communications Ltd.
- Annual Reports 2009-10, UTV Software Communications Ltd. & Subsidiaries
- Quarterly Reports 1st Quarter FY 2011, UTV Software Communications Ltd.
- Interview with Ronnie Screwvala Business StandardBusiness StandardBusiness Standard is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published by Business Standard Ltd in two languages, English and Hindi...
. - Article on Ronnie Screwvala at NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
- Article on Ronnie Screwvala at The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.