NEW DELHI: Reacting to the Maharashtra government’s directive to all multiplexes in the state to screen at least one Marathi language movie in prime time, media and entertainment veteran Ronnie Screwvala said it was more important for the exhibition sector itself to “open its eyes to regional cinema.”

“Forcing some regulations on people but not enforcing it only creates problems,” he said.

Founder of one of India’s largest media and entertainment conglomerates - UTV, Screwvala launched his book with a coffee session with Karan Johar in an event held at the capital on 8 April.

“Inject humour and laughter and look people in the eye even when you are telling them about failures. Make failures completely acceptable, and it will work,” he voiced.

Screwvala has clearly learnt from his disruptions, and broke new ground by creating radio and television advertisements for his book Dream with Your Eyes Open, which he claims is not a biography about encouraging entrepreneurship.

Referring to his weekly television programme on ET Now, he said that was also about entrepreneurship and not about him. Screwvala opined that his own entrepreneurial journey had been filled with innovation and disruption.

Referring to his career in filmmaking and his 1997 film Dil Ke Jharoke Mein, he said, “Sometimes you are ahead of your times and therefore you fail.”

The basic thought is about how more people can be encouraged to venture into entrepreneurship of their own. The ambition and aspiration level has to be charged, instead of just providing infrastructure to people, he said.

Johar added that it is important to dream, but one should dream with one’s eyes open so that one can distinguish between what is right and wrong and rationalise.“Ronnie’s journey is an inspiration, to say the least. His innate ability to merge creativity with commerce is remarkable,” he said.

Rupa Publications managing director Kapish Mehra added that the publication of the book had in itself been an entrepreneurship and it had done a landmark sale of 50,000 for a first time author within a week of its launch.