Excerpts from the interview:

What will be the focus of the new series of Wheels?
The new series will focus on any new car in the market. It will cut through the hype and jargon that cars are associated with. We'll aim at an irreverent treatment of cars to bring out the truth for the viewers. Also, it will be visually more pleasing with the mountain backdrop of Sikkim, etc. The technical details of the programme will be woven around funny scripts.

But, how is the new series of Wheels different from the earlier ones?
It will have more interesting information on cars and bikes, more humour, more irreverence in treatment of the cars, and it won't be heavy on the technical stuff. The moot point will be: Is it worth your money? The forthcoming series will also talk about how old cars can be transformed with a fixed budget. So, you start with a fixed budget and work on the car accordingly.

On what basis do you select the cars for review? Is the process advertisement-driven?
No, the selection of cars is not ad-driven. In fact, no car company is allowed to sponsor the programme on BBC World because such a sponsorship may influence the review. Only a company with a residual effect such as an oil company or a tyre company can sponsor the programme.

The selection of cars in the programme is based purely on journalistic instincts.

Do you have to buy the cars which you review? No, we don't buy the cars. We're given the cars free of cost by the manufacturing companies for a period of three to six days.

Do you face any problem when you get critical about a car model?
Yes, sometimes manufacturers try to push for a positioning in the market. But, our objective is to be unbiased.How much do you have to invest in an episode of Wheels? It's a commissioned programme. But I'm afraid I can't give any figures.You've done other shows like Hospital, the first reality programme in India.

What is the cost of producing such a reality show?
Hospital was among the most expensive shows produced on BBC World. Though I'm not in a position to talk about the money spent in the making of Hospital, on an average an episode of a reality show could cost anything from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. The cost varies depending on various factors such as the kind of camera used.

What are the new programmes expected from the Miditech stable?
I'm planning a lot of projects for various channels. I'm also venturing into fiction: Kahani Ek Jivan Ki is one such on Star Plus. After Hospital, we're going to do more reality series for BBC World. One such series is likely to be launched in July 2001. We've also completed a natural history programme on Gir Lion, which will be sold abroad. Gir Lion may later be shown on the Indian channels, perhaps on Discovery. We also have plans for a youth programme on MTV channel and some game shows on other channels.

What about doing some political shows? Do you have any such plans?
Living on the Edge, our show on Star Plus in 1997, was an environment programme with political implications. We used a spycam to get at the root of the problem and even tied up the loose ends. But, we haven't done anything hardcore political. We realise that there's a lack of hardcore political reporting on Indian television. Yes, we want to get into that as well.

Do you have any plans to set up your own channel? If yes, will you tie up with a company or go it alone?
It's possible. We haven't decided whether to set up a channel independently or tie up with a company.

By when do you think you will move in that direction, if you plan to set up a channel?
One has to move very fast in these matters.

Since you are mostly working in the niche areas, are you excited over the introduction of Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting service?
DTH holds a lot of potential for content providers like us. Education, romance, horror: anything would have a market in the DTH regime. To fit into the DTH mould, one has to be at that edge and I think we are there.