Hum Log (English: We People) was Indian television's first soap opera and also the first serial drama series on the Indian subcontinent. It began telecast on Doordarshan, India's national network on 7 July 1984, then the only television channel of India. It is the story of an Indian middle-class family of the 1980s and their daily struggles and aspirations.
It was created on the lines of a Mexican television series, Ven Conmigo (1975), using the education-entertainment methodology.The idea of the TV series came to then Information and Broadcasting Minister, Vasant Sathe, after a Mexican trip in 1982. Soon the idea for Hum Log was developed in collaboration with writer Manohar Shyam Joshi, who scripted the series, and filmmaker, P. Kumar Vasudev, who went on direct the series. The title score was composed by music director Anil Biswas.
156 episodes of Hum Log were broadcast. The episodes were for thirty-minute timeslots, with the final episode being for an hour timeslot.
At the end of every episode, veteran Hindi film actor Ashok Kumar discussed the ongoing story and situations with the audience using Hindi couplets and limericks. In later episodes, introduced the actors who played various characters in the serial and end his monologue with the various Indian language versions of the words "Hum Log".
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Cast and characters
- Ashok Kumar ... Narrator
- Vinod Nagpal ... Basesar Ram: alcoholic father
- Joyoshree Arora ... Bhagwanti: the mother, a housewife
- Rajesh Puri ... Lalit Prasad a.k.a. Lalloo: the eldest son, unemployed and looking for a job
- Abhinav Chaturvedi ... Chander Prakash a.k.a. Nanhe: the younger son, aspiring to be a cricketer
- Seema Bhargav ... Gunvanti a.k.a. Badki, a social worker
- Divya Seth ... Rupvanti a. k. a. Majhli, aspiring to be an actress
- Loveleen Mishra ... Preeti a.k.a. Chhutki, aspiring to be a doctor
- Lahiri Singh ... Dadaji: retired military man and the grandfather
- Sushma Seth ... Imarti a.k.a. Dadi: the grandmother
- Renuka Israni ... Usha Rani, Lalloo's wife
- Kamia Mulhotra ... Kamia Lal
- Aashif Sheikh ... Prince Ajay Singh
- Manoj Pahwa ... Tony: Guy who elopes with Majhli
- Suchitra (Srivastava) Chitale ... Lajwanti ak.a. Lajo
- Kavita Nagpal ... Santo Tai
- Ashwini Kumar ... Dr. Ashwini Kumar
- Rajendra Ghuge ... Inspector Sadanand Samdar
- Aparna Katara ... Dr. Aparna
- S. M. Zaheer ... Prof. Sudhir
- V. M. Badola ... Music teacher
Development and production
In 1984, Mexican television writer Miguel Sabido, who had written the popular Mexican telenovela on educational entertainment, Ven conmigo (Come with Me, 1975) on adult literacy, was invited to India. Working with local writer, he helped created the series which tackled social issues like family planning, caste harmony, empowerment of women, national integration, dowry, alcoholism and drug abuse. Ven conimgo was in turned based on the a Peruvian telenovela, Simplemente María (Simply Maria, 1969-1971).
The cast would meet for rehearsals at 3 pm at Himachal Bhavan, near Mandi House in Delhi, and thereafter a van would take them to a studio in suburb Gurgaon where it was shot.
Reception
During its 17-month run, Ashok Kumar received over 400,000 letters from young viewers, asking him to convince their parents in marriage of their choice.
Retelecast and remaking
In early 2000, Sony TV bought the tapes from Doordarshan and re-telecast the 154 episode story in 52 episodes.
Presently, it is being retelecast on Doordarshan as Hum - Ek Chote Gaon Ki Badi Kahani. The cast of Hum - Ek Chote Gaon Ki Badi Kahani includes Sadiya Siddiqui, Mona Wasu, Vineet Kumar, Suhasini Mulay, Anjan Srivastav, Himani Shivpuri and Harsh Chhaya.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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