The only billionaire in Bollywood is worth $1.55 billion and it's not Shah Rukh Khan, Aditya Chopra, Salman Khan, or Karan Johar.
There is no dearth of money in the film industry. Filmmaking in India is a multi-billion dollar industry, where actors make millions but filmmakers often make billions. It is no wonder then that the richest actors in India are often those who have their own production companies. And yet, their net worth pales in comparison to the richest man in Bollywood, the only person in the industry who is a dollar billionaire.
Who is Bollywood’s only billionaire?
The richest man in Hindi cinema is Ronnie Screwvala, film producer and entrepreneur. According to 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 dream of. Screwvala, the founder of UTV and the current head of RSVP Movies, is naturally also the richest 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. Similarly, the richest actor in the country - Shah Rukh Khan - also has a net worth of around $600 million, significantly less than Screwvala. Others like Salman Khan and the Bachchans follow way behind.
The story behind Ronnie Screwvala’s extraordinary wealth
Ronnie Screwvala started 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. UTV also moved to film production with titles like Swades, Jodhaa Akbar, Fashion, Barfi, Chennai Express and many more. In 2012, Screwvala sold 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. Over the last few years, Screwvala has been named among India’s most influential and powerful people by publications such as Time, Esquire, and Fortune
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 "Ronnie Screwvala with his wife")
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