Seema Pahwa aka Badki of 'Hum Log' says there are no records of India's first soap opera

While yesteryears iconic television shows like Ramayan and Mahabharat are making a comeback on the small screens amid the lockdown, one of the most popular soap operas of the 80s titled Hum Log stands no chances of a re-run expressed Seema Pahwa who played a prominent role in the show. Pahwa, in an interaction with an online portal, stated that despite it garnering a whopping viewership of 50 million per episode, there are no episodes saved of Hum Log by DD National or any other private channels.

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Seema Pahwa aka Badki of 'Hum Log' says there are no records of the soap opera preserved by any television channels 

India's first soap opera, Hum Log aired on Doordarshan in 1984. The show started rolling after Vasant Sathe drew inspiration from a Mexican TV series which used entertainment to disseminate useful information, raise awareness and spread education among the masses. One of the lead actors of the show, Seema Pahwa who essayed the role of Badki in the series was recently interviewed by an online portal wherein she was asked about her take on the rerun of Hum Log. 

In her reply, Pahwa stated that the show has not been preserved by Doordarshan itself and expressed her disappointment saying there are no records of Hum Log in India, despite it being India's first-ever soap opera. She further added that neither did DD National nor any other television channels save any of its episodes.

Reminiscing the good old days from the sets of the show, Pahwa shared her experiences as she said the kind of stories that were made back in time, that honesty successfully reached people. Furthermore, she added that such a big story was told in a simple manner, be it the direction or acting. Pahwa concluded her statement saying the number of shots or the technology did not matter because content mattered the most in those days and according to her, the main reason why people remember Hum Log fondly till date is because of its story.

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The script of Hum Log was penned by writer Manohar Shyam Joshi, while it was helmed by P Kumar Vasudev. The series, alongside Seema Pahwa, also featured actors like Vinod Nagpal, Abhinav Chaturvedi, Divya and Sushma Seth in the lead roles. According to records, the series garnered an average viewership of 50 million per episode.

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(Image credit: Seema Pahwa Instagram)