The DNA Behind Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur | Ft. Ronnie Screwvala

Ronnie Screwvala, Co-Founder of upGrad, Founder of the Swades Foundation, and the visionary behind UTV Motion Pictures and RSVP Movies joined us at Masters’ Union for a powerful conversation on entrepreneurship, cinema, and building high-impact ventures. From pioneering Indian media with UTV (later acquired by The Walt Disney Company) to producing landmark films under RSVP like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Sam Bahadur, and upcoming Panjab ’95, Ronnie Screwvala has shaped the way India tells stories on screen and beyond. In this candid session, he shares lessons on failure, risk-taking, and leadership, while also revealing the untold economics behind Dangal beating Avengers at the global box office. He discusses why legacy is overrated, how entrepreneurs can scale with clarity and conviction, and why “zero entitlement” is key to building lasting impact. From cinema to startups, and from Swades’ rural transformation to upGrad’s online education revolution, this conversation captures the mindset of one of India’s most respected entrepreneurs. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 02:15 – Building UTV Motion Pictures & the Disney acquisition 06:40 – The untold story: Dangal vs Avengers at the box office 12:25 – From UTV to RSVP Movies: producing Uri, Sam Bahadur & Panjab ’95 18:10 – Entrepreneurship lessons: risk, failure & resilience 24:30 – Why legacy is overrated in business & cinema 29:55 – Scaling with clarity, conviction & zero entitlement 35:40 – Swades Foundation: rural transformation at scale 41:20 – Reinventing with upGrad: the future of online education 48:00 – Leadership mindset for founders today 54:30 – Closing thoughts & advice for young entrepreneurs [Ronnie Screwvala, Ronnie Screwvala interview, Ronnie Screwvala Dangal, Dangal vs Avengers, UTV Motion Pictures, Walt Disney India, RSVP Movies, Ronnie Screwvala cinema, Ronnie Screwvala upGrad, Ronnie Screwvala Swades, Rang De Basanti, Uri The Surgical Strike, Sam Bahadur, Panjab 95, Indian cinema success, Bollywood vs Hollywood, Dangal box office, Indian entrepreneurs, leadership lessons, Masters’ Union, Series C Podcast] We have received approval from Ronnie Sir's team with a comment. From UTV to Upgrad : The Man Behind 5000 crore Empire ‪@UTVMotionPictures‬ ‪@disneyanimation‬ ‪@WaltDisneyStudiosBR‬ ‪@WaltDisneyStudiosIndia‬ ‪@Ronnie‬ ‪@RonnieScrewvala‬ ‪@excelmovies‬ ‪@sam‬ ‪@upGrad_edu‬