As a die-hard fan of Indian cinema, I can’t help but marvel at the incredible journey of Ronnie Screwvala. His life story is as captivating as any Bollywood blockbuster! From pioneering cable television in India to building the media conglomerate UTV and selling it to Disney, he has proven himself to be a true visionary.
Veteran Indian media figure, Ronnie Screwvala, is preparing a varied range of projects for his production company, RSVP.
Director Abhishek Kapoor’s horse-themed drama “Aazad” is approaching release within the next 90 days, along with an unnamed Punjab-set period film from director Honey Trehan that was withdrawn last year due to delicate Indo-Canadian relations. Additionally, new seasons of popular Netflix series “Mismatched” and “Lust Stories” are also on their way. On the other hand, Kanu Behl’s thriller “Despatch,” starring Manoj Bajpayee, has just become available to stream on ZEE5 Global after its screenings at the Mumbai Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India, Goa.
Ever since its inception in 2018, Screwvala’s RSVP has consistently churned out a large number of films and series, amounting to 39 productions to date. These include the Emmy-nominated “Lust Stories,” the war drama “Uri: The Surgical Strike,” and the real estate-themed romantic comedy “Love Per Square Foot,” which was one of India’s first Netflix originals. The company’s impressive portfolio also boasts discovering new talent and supporting offbeat projects such as the martial arts film “Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota,” which triumphed at Toronto, and the bandit drama “Sonchiriya,” which was honored with Best Film at India’s Filmfare awards.
Among the early innovators in Indian cable television, Screwvala and his spouse Zarina subsequently established the multimedia and entertainment empire known as UTV. Later, in 2012, Disney acquired this company, including a provision that prohibited them from engaging in similar ventures for five years.
In conversation with EbMaster, Screwvala detailed the origins of RSVP, which was born following a strategic hiatus after his departure from UTV. “At that time, when we sold UTV to Disney, we were deeply invested in everything we had accomplished, but not so emotionally attached to realize that a brand 100 times larger was about to take over,” he explained. This change in focus prompted him to adopt a new approach for RSVP, prioritizing storytelling over the reconstruction of a comprehensive media company.
Screwvala stated that embarking on a second phase in life wasn’t particularly captivating, and he chose to present RSVP as a labor of love instead. It’s worth mentioning that around 30% of the projects RSVP greenlit were initially rejected by other producers but eventually thrived under Screwvala’s direction.
Lately, the RSVP productions have featured names such as “Sam Bahadur,” “Pippa,” and “Tejas,” all tied to military themes. Additionally, they’ve been introducing fresh talent with movies like the survival drama “Kedarnath,” which showcased Sara Ali Khan for the first time. The company has managed to maintain a balance between cinema releases and streaming content by creating series such as “Ghost Stories” and “Ankahi Kahaniya.
Apart from providing entertainment, Screwvala has also invested significantly in education and rural development initiatives. In partnership with his wife, he established the online higher education platform UpGrad, which attained unicorn status, and expanded The Swades Foundation to combat poverty in rural India. His involvement with UpGrad, a platform serving over 200,000 learners throughout India and Southeast Asia, directly influences his content strategy.
He explained that understanding various aspirations and ambitions among diverse groups, at any given moment, essentially boils down to the essence of storytelling – evoking emotions within you.
Looking ahead to India’s theatrical market in 2024, Screwvala noticed notable changes in audience habits. “Younger audiences are increasingly reluctant to frequently visit cinemas beyond what’s necessary,” he commented, highlighting increased selectivity and price consciousness as key factors. He emphasized that consumption remains robust when pricing is appealing, using successful “multiplex days” promotions as an example of this trend.
In 2024, the streaming industry in India was noted by Screwvala as seeing a significant development with Netflix’s focus on localization. He pointed out that for the first time ever, Netflix offered their service at INR199 ($2.35) per month, breaking their pricing barrier globally. This move, according to him, opened up opportunities for a substantial number of users, as he observed an increase in Netflix’s investment in Indian content.
He emphasized the effect of the Jio-Disney merger and sports broadcasting rights on the streaming industry’s landscape. “Sports have significantly altered the entire Over-The-Top (OTT) sector in India,” he stated, hinting at how cricket licenses affected Disney’s strategic moves within the market.
Moving forward, Screwvala perceives possibilities for Indian content to penetrate global markets, yet advises against overdependence on streaming services as the only means to achieve international acclaim. “Stories on OTT platforms may grant you some visibility and expand your viewer base, but they won’t make India a global phenomenon,” he stated, urging for larger-scale theatrical releases to bolster our domestic industry.
From a passionate cinephile’s perspective, I’ve been advocating for the phase-out of the term “regional cinema” when referring to non-Hindi Indian films. It’s high time we stop categorizing these productions as such. Just like the Koreans don’t view themselves in regional terms, we should strive for a broader perspective. Labeling something as regional could lead to a narrow-minded outlook, and I believe the recent triumphs of Tamil and Telugu language films demonstrate India’s expanding national film market.
As a movie reviewer with a business-savvy background, I can confidently say that my entrepreneurial spirit is the driving force behind my creative choices. Put simply, I’m an entrepreneur at heart, followed closely by my passion for media. In terms of film, I see myself as more of a student than a seasoned professional – this unique perspective allows me to seize opportunities on unconventional projects with calculated risk-taking.
He said that when he encountered failure, it was just a small setback (1x), but when he took an unexpected approach, the payoff was substantial (10x). In other words, despite experiencing eight failures in this unconventional method, he could still have one success that is 10 times greater than those losses and end up with a net gain of two.
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2024-12-13 10:46