| Hum Log | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Written by | Manohar Shyam Joshi |
| Directed by | P. Kumar Vasudev |
| Starring | Vinod Nagpal Jayshri Arora Rajesh Puri Abhinav Chaturvedi Seema Bhargava Divya Seth Sushma Seth |
| Opening theme | "Hum Log" by Anil Biswas |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 156 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | DD National |
| Release | 7 July 1984 – 17 December 1985 |
Hum Log (English: We People) is an Indian television soap opera and also the first serial drama series in Hindi. It began telecast on Doordarshan, India's national network on 7 July 1984, then the only television channel of India.[1] It is the story of an Indian middle-class family of the 1980s and their daily struggles and aspirations.[2][3][4][5]
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.[6][7] The title score was composed by music director Anil Biswas.
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".
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.[1][8] Ven conimgo was in turned based on the a Peruvian telenovela, Simplemente María (Simply Maria, 1969-1971).[1]
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.[6]
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.[1]
