The first television serial from India was watched by 5 crore people on Doordarshan, was a hit before Ramayan and Mahabharat
Television programming in India has come a long way since its initial days on Doordarshan, when the most watched programmers were either news bulletins or Krishi Darshan. It all changed in the early 80s, first with the broadcast of the Asia Games in 1982, and then with the arrival of scripted TV shows, called serials. The first Indian TV serial created a viewership record that even the hits of today are unable to touch.
India’s first hit TV show
Hum Log is considered India’s first TV serial. The show, created by Manohar Shyam Joshi, began airing on Doordarshan in 1984 and ran for 156 episodes over the next 17 months. Directed by P Kumar Vasudev, Hum Log starred Vinod Nagpal, Jayashree Arora, Rajesh Puri, Seema Pahwa, Divya Seth, Loveleen Mishra, Sushma Seth, Manoj Pahwa, and Aasif Sheikh among others. A unique feature was its host and anchor, superstar Ashok Kumar. He appeared at the end of every episode, discussing the ongoing story and delivering a monologue on various social evils and societal issues. The show was a huge hit and as per many news reports, had a viewership of 50 million (5 crore) at its peak.
How Hum Log is still untouchable by Indian shows
Since its release, only two Indian TV shows have managed to beat Hum Log in viewership – both created by Ramanand Sagar. Ramayan had a viewership of 77 million, while Lav-Kush peaked at 66 million. Even BR Chopra’s iconic Mahabharat fell short of the figure with its peak viewership of 22 million. Modern-day hits are nowhere close. Naagin, considered, the most popular scripted TV show today, hardly reaches 10 million in TRP impressions, while Bigg Boss fares similar. Even put together, their 18-20 million viewership isn’t half of what Hum Log managed on Doordarshan back in 1984-85.
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 "A still from India's first TV serial Hum Log")
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