Remake Hoax

While Hum Log focussed on a middle-class family living in an Indian town in the 1980s,the story of Hum—written and directed by 44-year-old Sanjay Tripathi—revolves around the lives of six women in a village and is a reflection of the issues that plague rural India. “The Hum Log tag just got attached because this show,too,is being produced by Shobha Doctor. The spirit of the two shows is the same,but Hum is quite different,” confesses Tripathi,who has received positive feedback for the first two episodes.

Four-time National award-winner,Mulay plays ‘Mai’,the widow of a teacher from the city who returns to her village to make it her “karmabhoomi”. She educates women in the village and helps them solve the dilemmas they face. “Many TV shows these days have rural flavour,but in terms of content,they are all family politics. But the objective of this show is to depict the reality of the villages,” says Mulay,who is remembered for her role in Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome and Gulzar’s Hu Tu Tu.

Wasu plays Mulay’s niece who gives up her plans to study medicine in the US when she meets Phoolwa (played by Siddiqui). “Phoolwa is a woman who belongs to the below the poverty line category and is seeking justice for the murder of her husband,” Siddiqui explains.

The show has been shot in a small village near Sitamarhi,which is 125 km from Patna. It is this choice of shooting in a real village that distinguishes Hum from many other shows on air. No pretentious sets,stifling studios and freshly painted walls—the show has been shot at the village’s dispensary,the mukhiya’s house and the farms there. Even though only 26 episodes were shot last year,Tripathi hopes that Doordarshan will sanction more this year. Probe the cast about the Hum Log tag attached and Mulay expresses her concern. “I wish the tag was not there because Hum is a good show in its own right,” she adds.

A nice cast,strong script and realistic approach makes the show worth a watch. But is the audience interested in watching a show on DD National anymore? “Limited viewership is a setback. But mainstream channels may not have the conviction to do a show like this,” Tripathi points out.