Niret and Nikhil Alva spill the beans on everything from roughing it on roadside dhabas and saas-bahu serials to politics and more. By Reshmi Chakraborty.

Hey absolutely love ‘Living On The Edge’ and managed the ‘Great Escape’ time and again with the help of ‘Wheels’ of course! Yes, they’re the now famous Alva brothers, Niret and Nikhil.

When Niret and Nikhil set up Miditech in 1993, producing television software was still a budding business. Undeterred, the sons of former Union Minister Margaret Alva and Niranjan Alva plunged in; and have managed to stay wonderfully afloat.

The brothers come from a family steeped in politics — their grandparents, Joaquim and Violet, were the first couple in Indian Parliament — but in absolute contrast to most politicians’ kids, these aren’t regular page three guys; their work is publicity enough.

From their first in-depth documentary for UNICEF on the girl child in Rajasthan, there has been a touch of the real in all their shows. The idealism that Miditech (that stands for Musical Instruments Digital Interface Technology) started with, hasn’t wavered much. Originally set up as an ad jingle company, both Niret, 35 and Nikhil, 32, insist they have grown show by show. “We’ve listened to our hearts more than our heads,” they insist.

Fame, awards (and we suppose, money) notwithstanding, the brothers still have an easygoing, affable air about them. Talking to them is like a study in contrasting personalities. Nikhil is the quieter, loner variety; while Niret, older by four years and the face of the company on TV, is forthcoming and more exuberant.

Getting There
Nikhil: Getting into television was a gradual transition. Niret had already worked in TV, but for me it was a straight jump into running a company.

We started small, pitched ideas and all our work was commissioned, so we didn’t spend our money. What surprises me is that we have survived when many big players have succumbed. The reason? I think by being frugal and following certain business principles. (CEO talk, huh?)

Niret: Politics, journalism and law are family traditions, and I even have a degree in law. I studied History at St Stephen’s and then journalism at The Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. After a short stint with The Economic Times , I realised print wasn’t for me and joined PTI TV. I learnt the nuts and bolts of TV there.

Then came Eyewitness , which was a fabulous experience, given that almost all areas were problem ridden at the time. Now it seems a different era altogether, when I tell people that news came in videos! News reporting gives you a great high, but I was skimming the surface, and wanted to get into analysis.

There has been no game plan, and we have just survived. It’s not that we do brilliant stuff... We do stuff that no one wants to touch and it paid off! (Now that’s on-the-edge thinking!)

Brothers At Work
Nikhil: We are the heart and soul of the company. Officially, I handle the finance, administration and business development, while Niret is the creative head. We have a professional relationship. We are different people by nature but nine out of 10 times, we talk in the same voice when it comes to work.

Niret: It’s great fun. The best thing is that we are comfortable with any kind of situation when it comes to work; whether it’s sleeping at a roadside ‘dhaba’ or a junket on a luxury cruise liner. (Gets a bit nostalgic about being so caught up with shooting that he forgot to enjoy the cruise!)

Working together also has a negative side because there’s so much work that we can’t switch off. I’m not good with money, management and handling stress, which Nikhil is very good at. We don’t ever want to do something that doesn’t make sense to us.

Their Parents’ Sons
Nikhil: We had a normal, simple childhood, despite our mother being in politics. No security guards hovering around... Our parents didn’t spoil us and gave us room to experiment and face challenges. They had their concerns when we started Miditech. Today, they are our biggest critics. In fact, it’s depressing to watch our shows with them, so rarely do they say “wow” to any of our work!

Niret: Without our parents, there would have been no scene! They’ve been a shoulder to lean on. The criticism from them is vital — it keeps our feet firmly planted on ground.

Future Driven
Nikhil: We have made our foray into fiction with thrillers like Kahani Jurm Ki and a serial on four Indian Air Force pilots, Saara Akash . But we would never do a saas-bahu kind of soap. The company profile is young, and it shows in our programming. We criticise a lot. Not each other’s work but all the work that comes out of here. Nothing has ever gone out of here that we have been happy with.

Niret: We have reacted quickly to market changes. The show should strike a chord with everyone. Take for example, ‘Wheels’ on BBC World, many auto buffs tell us to make it more technical, but we don’t want that.

Bhai Bhai
Nikhil: Niret was protective of all of us. He’s frank and genuine and rarely says what he doesn’t mean. At work, Niret is an extrovert and has a personal approach to things. As for which one of us is the business brain...I think that would be me!

Niret: Nikhil is more talented than I am. He wouldn’t have told you, but he was a national level pistol shooter and won all four colours in St Stephen’s. Nikhil believes in giving everything 110 per cent.

I came to Miditech from a couple of other jobs and was more relaxed, whereas Nikhil has been the boss from day one. I’m hyperactive while Nikhil is logical.

Politically Correct
Nikhil: We saw too much of politics, so never thought of going into it. Our parents always said, ‘First make a name for yourself. Don’t be dependent on politics for a livelihood.’ Anyone who has grown up in a household of politicians (ours had everyone from extreme left to right wing) and seen it all from the inside, would be interested.

Niret: We helped mom in her election campaigns but I can’t be in politics. But the others — Nikhil, Manira and Nivedit — have more interest.

Travel Crazy
Nikhil: When it comes to trekking, we’ve done it all. Literally.

Niret: Travelling’s fun but exhausting! I’m more interested in knowing where the sun is! All my energy goes into organising. The ideal holiday is to stay at home and sleep.


Got comments or questions? E-mail us at femina@timesgroup.com with ‘bonds — alva’ in the subject line.