When I picked up Ronnie Screwvala’s ‘Dream with Your Eyes Open’, people raised their eyebrows. “How can a person from the film industry write a book on Entrepreneurship?”

The Founder of UTV, Ronnie’s career spans over two-and-a-half decades and this book takes you through his entrepreneurial journeys, including the one where he started a brand of toothbrushes called ‘lazer-sharp’.

He begins talking about the failures he dealt with in his mid-teens, the age he was trying to establish his first business venture. An inexperienced fella that he was, he experienced many hurdles, followed by few failures but plenty of lessons.

“Failure can be a stronger motivator than success. Get that failure out of people’s minds quickly and focus on moving forward, and you won’t see that experience as the end of the road.” (Quote from the book)

Ronnie, in the first few pages of the book, addresses the readers saying, “I believe you – and we- are the future of entrepreneurship in India.” And I believe him. Looking at half of our country’s population moving towards entrepreneurship is truly blissful. And no, he isn’t just referring to the young lot. Ronnie shares how eager he is to begin his second innings as a businessman even as he is in his fifties.

‘Dream with Your Eyes Open’ has quotes that will thrill and motivate you to launch a business. Quotes like – “Risk means caring more about potential rewards than possible losses”, “I began UTV with just Rs. 37,500. For the first five years, there was no external funding. The business had to pay for itself. Cash flows were also stretched, but we remained positive”, “Dreaming with your eyes open means being alert to challenges but refusing to let them stop you.”

However, I felt that the book weakens on the part where it is supposed to cater quality tips to amateurs. He talks about ‘keeping your antenna higher’, ‘staying curious’, and ‘building a good communication amongst the team members’ in order to enjoy a successful business. But isn’t this something all of us know without even going to a B-school?

But don’t be that sad. The book tells you stories of your favorite movie stars, as well. You might mug into many ‘Aww’ moments like when he talks about walking on the Cannes Red Carpet with some biggies. He mentions how films like Rang De Basanti, No One Killed Jessica, Barfi, A Wednesday, Kites, Life in a Metro, Peepli Live, etc. happened and made him a huge name in the film fraternity. And later how he could scheme new ventures like establishing first UTV property (Hungama) that Disney showed interest in.

Howbeit, we know Shahrukh Khan isn’t coming to sponsor any of our new businesses. And so, all the star-studded pages in the book seem like a pleasure that lasts a jiffy.

So, if you think you need a BOOK to guide you through the entrepreneurship-expedition and serve you like a roadmap, pick it up. Because this book is all about Ronnie’s autobiography. Buy the book here, it costs just INR 195 (paperback) and INR 325 (Hardcover).

I rate it 2/5.