Ronnie Screwvala B’town’s only billionaire, wealthier than SRK Salman.Aditya Chopra, KJo, Bachchans
Ronnie Screwvala B’town’s only billionaire, wealthier than SRK Salman.Aditya Chopra, KJo, Bachchans
Admittedly, there is no scarceness of funds in the Indian Film industry.
Filmmaking in India is a multi-billion dollar industry, and it’s here where actors mint millions, but filmmakers often make billions.
It isn’t any wonder then that the richest actors in India are often those who own their own production houses. Despite that, their net worth pales in comparison to the richest man in Bollywood, the only person in the industry who is a dollar billionaire.
He is none other than Ronnie Screwvala, filmmaker and entrepreneur. As per Forbes, the business tycoon is worth a whopping $1.55 billion (Rs 12,800 crore), much higher than what most actors and directors in this country can ever dream of.
Ronnie, the founder of UTV and current head of RSVP Movies, is obviously, also the wealthiest film producer in Bollywood, pipping names like Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Bhushan Kumar, or even Ekta Kapoor.
None of these producers are even worth half as much as Screwvala as per figures provided by multiple reports.
Likewise the richest actor in the country Shah Rukh Khan also has a net worth of around $600 million, however, significantly less than Screwvala. Salman Khan and the Bachchans follow way behind.
Notedly, Ronnie ventured into business as a toothbrush manufacturer in the 70s, and went on to set up a cable TV businss in 1981, his first entry in the entertainment world.
In 1990, with an investment of just Rs 37,000, he founded UTV, which eventually became a major television producer, creating shows like Shanti and Sea Hawks. Subsequently, UTV also moved to film production with titles like Swades, Jodhaa Akbar, Fashion, Barfi, Chennai Express and many more.
It was in 2012, that Screwvala parted with his share of the company to Disney for over a billion dollars. Two years later, the entrepreneur founded RSVP Movies, which has produced films like Uri and Kedarnath among others.
The 61-year-old does not make all his money from films though. His investments in businesses like UpGrad, Usports, and Unliazer contribute heavily to his reported net worth of
Rs 12,800 crore.
Meanwhile, over the last few years, Screwvala’s name has figured among India’s most influential and powerful people by publications such as Time, Esquire, and Fortune
News Edit K.V.Raman
