In 2001, two spirited brothers produced the first-ever reality TV show called Hospital, featuring happenings at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Today, Nikhil Alva, one of the duo, and CEO and creative director of Miditech Productions, has his hands full producing a number of TV shows for various channels.

His mother is a famous politician but Alva was sure politics would be the last thing that he would get into. Instead, during his school years at St Columbus High, Alva cherished the idea of becoming a computer scientist. He joined St Stephen’s College in 1988 to pursue his graduation in mathematics.

Alva was not just another boy with his nose in his books. He excelled in music. Very few know that Alva is a pianist and, during his college days, used to play music professionally. The idea of managing music professionally took root in those years and inspired Miditech. His family thought it was a passing fad and left him to do what he wanted. Eventually, the company shut shop. Says Alva: “I realised that you need more than passion to sustain a business. You need people and you need to be aware of the basics of conducting a business.”

But failure did not deter him. Around the early 90s, the television boom had just begun in India. Alva sensed the potential of having a production company and roped in his TV journalist brother Niret. Alva points out that it wasn’t very difficult starting out early. According to him, since his brother had a journalism background and he had the production skills, they did not face any shortage of clients.

One of their first clients was UNICEF in 1993 with whom they partnered to produce a series on the girl child. They did 18 shows for the organisation and there was no looking back. The series ended up as a much bigger project than originally envisaged.

Alva developed and creatively led India’s first adventure reality game show RAAAH (Romance Adventure Aap Aur Hum) for Zee TV that featured newly-married couples competing against each other in physical and mental challenges set in extreme terrain. Some of the other programmes that he worked on include Deal Ya No Deal and Fame Gurukul.

Today, Miditech has grown to over 200 employees spread across the world. Says Alva: “It was as tough then as it is now. But we have a great team. As a company we're known for our work ethic, creativity, great productions and superb infrastructure. And all this at budgets few can match. That is how we have and will sustain our position as a market leader.”

According to Alva, the television business is about young people, as it requires passion, energy and ideas. He stresses that to survive in the industry, one needs to think quickly and constantly push creative and production boundaries and strive for the next big idea.

Like in every business, Alva reiterates that managing people is the biggest issue in the television industry. Says he: “We have to give a challenging environment to our employees, motivate them and allow opportunities for them to grow. At the same time, we have to monitor their work.” He believes that unless a company grows, it will not be able to attract talent.

The two brothers hold 75 per cent of the company. The other 25 per cent is held by ICICI Ventures, a private equity and venture capital biggie.

Besides television, Alva is an avid trekker, cross-country runner and national-level pistol shooter. He is also a versatile pianist. He counts Mozart and Tchaikovsky as his favourite classical musicians and prefers a wide range from Sting to Peter Gabriel in the contemporary era.

Alva says that he has big plans for the company. After having made a mark on the Indian scene, he would like to test the international waters too. The company has already produced shows for BBC World and The Disney Channel, amongst others. “In television you cannot rest on your laurels,” Alva explains. “You are as good or bad as your last episode.”

Based on a conversation with Aparna Harish in Calcutta