India Broadband Forum

panchabhut

Remember Basesar Ram and his family?
Badki, Majhli, Chutki, Nanhe, Dadi, Lallu and all?

25 years back, on 7th July 1984, Humlog started in Doordarshan, National Network. It was the first daily family soap in this Country.

Ashok Kumar played the part of the sutradhar, coming after every episode. The title music was scored by the famous musician Anil Biswas.

There were a total of 156 episodes of 25 minutes (except the last one of 55 minutes) which were broadcast over 17 months. And the whole of India followed the joys and troubles of the family.

It is said that the serial had an average viewership of over 5 crores in a time when TV was still considered a luxury in this Country. The serial and its characters attained iconic stature and was the first Indian serial to have VHS made of all the episodes on commercial basis.

25 years on, its time to remember those days.

just4kix

Very few people may have seen Hum Log. Even though the serial had some faults, I found it superb. The faults could be mainly attributed to the low budget of those days - there were no big sponsors at that time.

What made the story so captivating and serial so endearing is because it related to the middle class completely.

• The family lived in a typical house found in Chandni Chowk or Karol Bagh.
• The house was not obscenely rich where the drapery alone costed the annual salary of a typical IT senior professional of 2000's.
• Women folk were most simply dressed and not carrying excessive jwellery weight
• Melodrama existed but it was simply put and the problem could have most easily been yours
• Complete down to earth acting
• Had everything - comedy, tragedy, bufoonery, drama, anguish, hope, dispair, romance, love, and whatever you could think of but not an overdose any where
• It had a story. It would be interesting to note that when the filming started, 52 episodes were already written by Manohar Shyam Joshi. The rest of the episodes were written as per the audience taste and wants; which explains why the serial became a little dull in the later phase.
• And finally and most importantly - no shaking of head three times or the three twang-twang-twang sounds as if the Terminator had returned.

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Dragon

I remember the show, I have seen few episodes, but I was too young to understand it properly, but when I read about this I really feel proud that I have experienced this in my life.

I remember another show, Ye zindagi hai, starring Satish Shah, bedi etc. I liked that too.

Pri_dm

well anyone born at that era wil definitely remember hum log,chanakya,bharat ek khoj,byomkesh bakshi,chandrakanta (:-P),dekh bhai dekh,circus,flop show,alif laila,Oshin,malgudi days so on and so forth.
Even watching mahabharata and ramayana had its own fun.

Dragon

Out of these I remember and enjoyed: dekh bhai dekh, flop show, alif laila and malgudi days. I still love that malgudi tune: tana na na na na na naaaaa

Pri_dm

I loved Oshin used to come at 9.30 pm on wednesday I guess. For past 3 years I am looking for some link where I can watch oshin got one dailymotion subscription with english subtitles but the lady is still on uplaoding mode.

gothic_coder

Unforgettable ERA, Lovely and watchable serials..And now these days it's "Rakhi Ka swayamwar" kind of Sh*t

Don't remember Oshin, what's that about?

Pri_dm

Oshin is a japanese serial about a girl. A journey of her life from childhood till maidenhoon till she becoems an old fragile lady. The child was a babysitter to support her family and she runs away from home where she suffers more. becomes a hairstylist i tokyo where she meets her husband but their home and business gets destroyed in the earthquakes leading her to live with her in laws while her MIL never supported the marriage. Her whole life was a sad story but somehow it has its own appeal then any K series dramas which dont have a heads or tails. You never know where the story is leading to.

Dragon

Oh yes, now I remember, never liked that show, Kuch samajh nahi aata tha, so much silence in the show, just wooden slidding doors everywhere.

gothic_coder

Did Doordarshan telecasted it?

Pri_dm

yes in early 90s if i am not wrong 1992-93 with the english subtitles.

panchabhut

If I'm not wrong it was "yeh jo hai Zindegi".
The only TV Serial that Kishore Kumar ever sang for (title song)

Pri_dm

Its yehi hai zindagi

panchabhut

if your profile reflects your correct age, how did u manage to understand it at that time?

Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Punch Farce

not too farfetched Panchabhoot. I used to watch
Hum Log when I was 9 or 10 I think.

-F

p.s you two are probably talking about two different seriels anyway.

I too remember ye jo hai zindagi

Pri_dm

Thats what is known as inborn talent :-). Unlike other kids I wasted more time on music, movies and dance. And of course television.

panchabhut

I can only say that u need to be genius to understand a Japanese serial on grown up theme with English sub-titles at the age of eight.

Pri_dm

well it wasn't that tough to understand as i loved it. If you ask me anything from chandrakanta i just remember yakkoo pitashri cos i never liked that serial. i also used to love meri awaaz suno.

Dragon

I must say, at the age of 24 you still remember alot of it. great.

@5bhoot, yes that's the one, yeh jo zindagi hai. thanks.

Pri_dm

well ask me anything since i was 3 years old