Dream With Your Eyes Open

"Dream With Your Eyes Open" by Ronnie Screwvala is a candid account of his journey from a middle‑class upbringing in Mumbai with no business background to becoming one of India’s most prominent first‑generation entrepreneurs, using his story to break down what entrepreneurship in India really looks like beyond the glamour. He narrates his early ventures in cable TV and small businesses in a pre‑liberalization era, showing how regulatory hurdles, limited capital, and social skepticism were constant companions rather than excuses, and how he learned to work within constraints instead of waiting for ideal conditions. These formative experiences set the stage for the creation of UTV, where he gradually shifted from opportunistic hustling to more focused, structured company building. ​

In the core of the book, Screwvala details how he identified opportunities in television production, broadcasting, and films before they were mainstream, and how UTV grew into a diversified media company that eventually attracted acquisition by Disney, proving that global‑scale businesses can be built out of India without inherited wealth or elite foreign education. He uses both wins and missteps—projects that failed, deals that fell apart, and tough financial phases—to argue that failure should be treated as a comma, not a full stop, a source of feedback rather than a label that defines a person. The narrative repeatedly stresses calculated risk over blind optimism: think deeply about worst‑case scenarios, protect the downside, and yet have the courage to move quickly when the potential upside and conviction are strong. ​

Alongside his story, the book lays out a mindset playbook for aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasizing focus, discipline, and the ability to say no to distracting opportunities, rather than trying to do everything at once. Screwvala highlights the importance of building strong teams and culture—favoring integrity, ownership, and openness to change—over glorifying the lone founder, and he situates all of this firmly in the Indian context of family expectations, risk‑averse environments, and rapidly changing markets. In later sections, he expands beyond UTV to discuss exits, second innings, and his move into the social sector, arguing that the coming decades in India offer a rare window for young people to dream ambitiously while staying grounded, provided they are willing to work hard, learn from setbacks, and truly “dream with their eyes open".