Meet Bollywood's richest man and only billionaire, once sold toothbrushes, now richer than Shah Rukh, Salman combined

The Indian entertainment industry is a prosperous one. Each year, many films release across languages, earnings hundreds of crores, and making producers and financers richer and richer. While stars do rake in the moolah courtesy their job to sell the film with their popularity, the richest people in any entertainment industry are the studio heads and producers. The richest man in Bollywood is no different.

Bollywood’s richest man and only billionaire

Ronnie Screwvala, the head of RSVP Movies and former head of UTV, is the richest person in Bollywood. As per Forbes, Screwvala’s net worth is an estimated $1.55 billion (Rs 12800 crore), making him the only billionaire in the Hindi film industry. Nobody else in Bollywood is any match for Screwvala. Aditya Chopra, for instance, is worth around $850 million. Even the combined wealth of the two most successful Bollywood stars – Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan – comes out to $1.2 billion, still less than Screwvala.

How Ronnie Screwvala made his billions

Screwvala initially started as a toothbrush manufacturer. He set up his own plant to make toothbrushes in the 70s before going on to to set up a cable TV business in 1981. This marked 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. In the 90s, UTV made hit TV shows like Shanti and Sea Hawks. The company eventually also moved to film production with memorable outings 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.

Ronnie Screwvala’s other business interests

However, films are not the only source of income for the 61 year-old. In fact, it is not even the biggest one for him. His investments in several profitable businesses like UpGrad, Usports, and Unliazer contribute heavily to his wealth. 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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