This TV show was started at a minister's request and became bigger than even Mahabharat, but faced protests towards the end
The concept of TV soap operas emerged in the West. Some people credit Italy and Spain while others say it was Mexico that took the lead. But soon enough, this genre found its way to India too. And it found its way here at the recommendation of a Union Minister. The end result was a show that was bigger than Mahabharat at its peak but was cancelled after just one year.
India’s first TV serial was...
In 1982, the I&B Minister Vasant Sathe was on a trip to Mexico, where he came across the concept of telenovelas and in particular the hit show Ven Comingo. He assigned writer Manohar Shyam Joshi to develop a similar show for India’s Doordarshan, and thus, Hum Log was born. The show was the first fiction TV serial in India, beginning its broadcast in July 1984. The show aired five days a week and dealt with an Indian middle-class family’s daily issues, merging societal evils and problems with the turmoils of an ordinary Indian family.
Hum Log’s rage across India
When Hum Log aired, television was still new to most of India. Yet, the show managed to capture the audiences’ hearts and minds. As per reports, during its peak, Hum Log had a viewership of 5 crore, or TRPs of 50 million. That is higher than many iconic shows that came later, including Mahabharat (22.7 million), Bigg Boss (8.4), and Nagin (7.6). Only shows like Ramayan and broadcasts of the Indian Premier League have been able to beat Hum Log’s viewership figures. The show starred Vinod Nagpal, Jayshree Arora, Rajesh Puri, Seema Pahwa, Divya Seth, Loveleen Mishra, Sushma Seth, and others in an ensemble cast. But the highlight was Bollywood star Ashok Kumar serving as the sutradhar (moderator) of the show.
When there were protests due to Hum Log
Hum Log proved to be the most popular thing on Indian television when it aired. During its run, Doordarshan and Ashok Kumar received 40 lakh letters from the readers, highlighting its impact. So naturally, when Doordarshan decided to end the show in December 1985, viewers were not happy. Navbharat Times reported that India saw protests, with many fans demanding that the decision to cancel the show be rolled back. However, in the end, after a run of 156 episodes, Hum Log ended on December 17, 1985.
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