Kamili Nambiar - Televisionpoint.com
Niret and Nikhil Alva are to Indian reality television what Sachin Tendulkar is to the game of cricket. When these guys first did the rounds of television channels in the early 90s (they had started their production company Miditech in '92) they were met with outright scepticism.

"There is enough reality in people's lives, why would they want to see reality television, give them entertainment, is what producers often told us," recollects Niret, the oldest of the four Alva siblings who are all actively involved in the production company. However, Nikhil clarifies, "Niret and I are the founders of the company. My sister Manira and younger brother Nivedith have been employed by Miditech as professionals with specific responsibilities."

The brothers, who have been working together for 14 years, complement each other. "We are both diametrically different from each other but work well as professionals and we spilt core projects between us," adds younger brother Nikhil.

What is unspoken though is the strong bonding the siblings share. "My younger brother Nivedith works with me on Fame Gurukul. We are both based in Delhi. Nikhil is handling our new game show Deal or No Deal with actor Madhavan and handles the Mumbai office. My sister Manira, who handles our Bangalore office, is working on a seven-part business series scheduled to go on BBC soon. She's our creative head who does business development for us," says big brother Niret for whom "spending weekends with my wife Anuja and three kids is absolutely sacrosanct." Adds Nikhil, "It is important to prioritise your life and family invariably comes first. And when it comes to your personal life, it is important to consciously make time."

The fact that his wife Priya works as a supervising producer with Niret in Delhi does make life easy. "We are both in the same space and therefore get to spend a lot more time with each other," he says.

Niret's wife Anuja works as a creative and executive director with JWP. "One of us makes it a point to stay in town and we also believe in taking short breaks as often as we can with the family," he says.

Currently the Alva boys are working towards indigenising the popular American series Sesame Street. They have also travelled through the interiors of India, and have shortlisted 28 finalists for Indian Idol 2. "This time round, we have discovered a much higher level of talent. Even the participants seem to be much more aggressive in their approach. When the first episode is telecast on November 21, you will watch a good-looking boy, an engineering student, who pleads with the judges to give him another chance when he doesn't make it. His mother, who was outside, asked to meet the judges and even pleaded her son's case. This is the kind of stuff reality television is made of," he says.

So successful have the Alva brothers become at their work that they are now referred to as the uncrowned kings of reality television. Niret takes these epithets in his stride. "Our first programme, Living on the Edge, continues to be remembered till today. Even now, I bump into people at airports who ask us about that show," he says.

What the boys don't tom tom is the fact that politician Margaret Alva is their mother. And yes, they have often been asked whether having a famous mum has opened doors for them. "I would still say it was Living on the Edge that got us the right dose of attention. In the long run, it is your work that speaks for itself. Television is not a closed-door industry. What you do is pretty much out in the open for the world to see. Mum has always been supportive but nobody is going to invest in you if they didn't believe you have what it takes to make it," he firmly states.