Characters of Hum Log Old Doordarshan Serial

Old Doordarshan serials are a passé now, but the memories of those serials are still fresh in our minds. When talking about Old Doordarshan serials, the first name that comes to mind are Characters of Hum Log. It reminds us of the times when we were growing as kids and keep ourselves fixed in front of idiot box much before the start of the serial. Most of us would finish their daily homework early so that our parents could allow us to watch those serials.

Hum Log was the first and the most popular serial if we talk about Indian television. The first episode of the show was aired on 07th July 1984 and created history for so many reasons.Hum Log telecast 156 episodes in all with its first episode aired on 07th July 1984. The duration of episodes ranged between 25 to 55 minutes.

The inspiration of Hum Log came from Mexico

The show is said to have inspired by a similar Mexican show and it was conceptualized when the then Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr. Vasant Sathe visited Mexico and felt that our country needs such shows to make an impression on society through TV series and soap operas.

Something new for Indian in the Form of Hum Log

Soap operas are common these days. They are so common that people hardly could remember all the series being telecasted these days. But Hum Log was the first opera in India followed by ‘Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi’. Doordarshan was the only medium through which audience could get both entertainment as well as subtle information.

Hum Log :- How it related to the Indian audience?

Gradually, Indian audience started loving the show, thereby relating to the story and each of the characters and became a topic for common discussions in every household. What keep this show stand apart in our memories are the legendary characters and how the story related to the life of middle-class families in those times.

Excellent middle-class portrayal

The day to day struggles as well as the aspirations of middle class families on the show was hugely connected to the developing mentalities of people in 1980s. The show Hum Log was surely ahead of its times.

It depicted a poor and common boy falling for a rich man’s daughter and how he undergoes hardships to win his love. However, during course of time, the girl ends up getting married to a wrong man, later to be found as a smuggler.

At the time when this serial was telecasted, our society was not in a real good shape. India was already an independent country for couple of decades and it was time when people had started taking life quite casually.

Alcoholism, gender discrimination, unemployment and social dogmas were showing its awful face to the society and there was lots of agony all around. This show helped in creating and changing people’s perspective. In its own way, it paved the way for an improvement, although indirectly. It certainly brought change.

Characters of Hum Log that could be easily related to

The show depicted contemporary hardships and challenges being lived by the society, especially women. It depicted social issues like unemployment, women empowerment, dreams, aspirations and poverty as well as alcoholism.

The self-sacrificing Bhagwanti: The subservient typical Indian woman was mother of 5 and lived her entire life only for kids and husband. Such a character is something that you would see in almost every Indian household. The sacrifices made by these Bhagwantis are not something to be forgotten.

The social worker Badki: Her character simply depicted the fate of young women in those times, even in times till now. She was a social worker by profession and her life was full of struggles while she was attempting to break-free from an environment dominated by social evils like dowry and women suppression. Her struggle was a lesson and inspiration to so many Badkis living in those times.

Suppressed Lajwanti was one of the key characters through which audience could see the fate of Indian women in their respective societies. How alcoholic Basesar’s implicated his surroundings was one big question of those times.

In fact, the show depicted the social causes so well that hardly did anyone believe that it was a show or if someone is acting. It seemed all original, just because the roles were carried out stupendously and the story moved around mirror images from the society.

And that was something that was happening well within societies across the nation. So, that made sense and this relevance made this show so much popular that it’s not yet forgotten from the minds of people living those times.

The narration of the show was done none other than the dynamic actor Ashok Kumar who would appear on screen after every show and would describe and discuss the events happening in the show.

That was a simple connection with the audience. On the other hand, the actor himself was enthusiastic about being a part of the show which gave him much more popularity and satisfaction than most of his super hit films.

When it all started on Doordarshan, none of the producers or even directors would have ever imagined that Hum Log would be a name to be remembered after decades of its actual telecast. But we all do so. Right? Each character on the serial was a story in itself. People in those times, for that matter today also are crazy about their favorite characters from Hum Log.

The team and characters of TV Serial Hum Log are so well knit and connected till now that we heard that they had a get together recently sharing their love for each other and for the audience of a show which started 30 years ago. Whether the team is planning and preparing for a sequel of the show is something we need to wait and watch for.