Brothers for Real

Of the two,Nikhil looks the more contemplative. “Not at all,” disagrees Niret. “He is much more social than I am.”

“I need time to feel comfortable with people,’’ says Nikhil with a stiff smile which suggests he is still uncomfortable being interviewed,although it has happened often since the brothers launched their most ambitious venture to date,a new general entertainment channel called Real. Real is the first channel to roll out of Real Global Broadcasting,a 50:50 venture between Alva Brothers Pvt Ltd and Turner International,the broadcast division of Time Warner,the world’s largest media company.

The Alvas resemble anything but media moghuls. In their mid-40s,they’re slim,youthful and casually dressed. Seated inside the spacious conference room at the Miditech offices in Gurgaon’s Udyog Vihar,they seem ill at ease,as if this is not where they had expected to be 16 years ago when they first joined hands to make Miditech a TV production company.

“Seventeen years ago,all I thought about was I hope to be able to retire at 40,’’ Niret admits,“that was reset to 50 and now…’’ he shrugs as if to say he’s done with retirement plans. “We started out to just make shows we wanted to,one show at a time. But we were in the right place at the right time,and with a little luck and God’s grace,we’ve grown into what we are,” he says.

What they are is one of the leading TV production companies around,making a variety of shows for a number of TV channels including Sony (Indian Idol,Fame Gurukul,Deal Ya  No Deal),the children’s show Gali Gali Simsim for Turner,Kyunki Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai for Doordarshan apart from Sarkar ki Duniya,Vicky Ki Taxi,Sitaron Ko Choona Hai and Ninja Pandav for Real.

It is a cliché to say that the brothers have strayed a long way from the day in 1993 when Nikhil,who created Miditech to produce musical scores for TV shows and advertising jingles (he’s a trained classical pianist),was joined by Niret,who gave up a promising career as a TV journalist with the monthly video news magazine Eyewitness,to become TV producers. Their journey was to coincide with the birth of private satellite TV in India but Miditech was not looking to entertain so much as inform and educate.

Its first production was Santosh,a documentary on the girl child in Rajasthan for Unicef. There followed the environmentally-friendly and critically acclaimed series Living on the Edge for Doordarshan which won a Green Oscar,the car show Wheels for BBC World,the travel show The Great Escape,which Niret anchored,and reality shows such as

Commandos and Hospital. The brothers have been passionate documentary filmmakers with Nikhil directing The Hijacking of IC 814 and The Lions of Gir for National Geographic and Discovery,respectively,while Niret has to his credit short films such as The Great Descent and Operation Hot Pursuit. “It’s been a struggle,’’ admits Nikhil,“But we wanted to make shows that were innovative and interesting. Nine out of ten of our shows are distinct from other shows. Our portfolio reflects our range—we have never got stuck in one place.’’

But even as Miditech was being recognised for its serious,reality-based shows,general entertainment channels began to dominate the TV market. Either the Alvas had to change and grow with it or be left behind. They decided to change: with their docu-drama background,not surprisingly,they explored reality shows with Indian Idol (Sony) and MTV Roadies (MTV) —hit programmes into their fourth and sixth seasons,respectively. “I believe real people are more interesting than celebrities,’’ says Nikhil.

“TV has been dominated by soaps which were an escape from reality,’’ adds Niret,“but viewers want variety,choice. There’s a mass of young viewers out there who want more. And we’re aiming to capture them.’’

Nothing in the Alvas’ background could have predicted that one day they would be trying to entertain people with soaps and songs. That is something people from Mumbai did. The Alvas grew up in Delhi where their mother Margaret Alva was active in politics as a Congresswoman. They went to a missionary school — St Columbus — then proceeded to a missionary college — St Stephen’s College — where Niret studied history and Nikhil mathematics. In the early Nineties,television was still not the respectable career it was to become and with their upbringing,the Alvas seemed better suited for government service,teaching or even politics. “No,my brothers always followed their heart,’’ says younger brother Nivedith,who works for Miditech based in Bangalore,Niret’s heart lay in TV journalism while Nikhil’s beat for music.
Where will it take them next? “We want to create a new kind of TV,’’ reflects Nikhil,“something real.’’

NIRET
On Ekta Kapoor’s serials
“Very compelling. An escape from reality,they have their place. They worked. But there was too much duplication,too many look-alikes were launched,” says Niret.

On KBC
“When Amitabh Bachchan anchored Kaun Banega Crorepati,TV was still considered a poor cousin of films – his career was on the wane at the time. But when Shah Rukh Khan took over,he was at his peak. That’s changed the perception of TV. Now TV actors are legitimate stars,” says Nikhil.

On Real’s Recipe
Isn’t it an unusual name for a channel? “It was a working title that just grew on everyone’’ says Nikhil. Traditional soap operas or big stars is not what they want on their channel. They’re looking for real people and their stories.

On Sarkar Ki Duniya
It’s the Real brand. USP: 18 regular people confronted by greed on a deserted island. “It’s a little slow,’’ admits Nikhil,“and maybe one or two big names may have helped’’.

NIKHIL
On Family matters
Nikhil looks after the broadcasting and administrative side and new business. Niret sees to Miditech productions across channels.

Younger brother Nivedith has produced Roadies and is in charge of Indian Idol. “It’s a professional organisation,Nikhil and Niret are the bosses. Niret’s the calm,composed one,Nikhil is more impulsive.’’ Niret,married to Anuja Chauhan,has three children and lives with their parents in New Delhi. Nikhil has two children and lives with wife Pria Somiah Alva. “We’re a very close-knit family. Every Sunday,there’s a family reunion,” says Niret.  

On Politics and belonging to a political family
Grandparents Jochim Alva and Violet Alva were freedom fighters and the first Indian couple in Parliament. Mother Margaret Alva is a veteran Congress politician and after a rift with the leadership over Nivedith,a former Youth Congress worker,not being awarded seats for the Karnataka Assembly elections,she’s back in favour as a candidate for Uttara Kannada. If mom’s political links helped their careers,they’re not admitting it. “It’s a double-edged sword,” says Niret. “Between 1998 and 2005,we got no programmes cleared by Doordarshan’’.