''Hum Log'' () is a 1951 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

social realist film written and directed by

Zia Sarhadi Zia Sarhadi (; born Fazl-e-Qadir Sethi 1914 in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, North West Frontier Province – 27 January 1997 in Karachi, Sindh) was an Indian and Pakistani screenwriter and Film director, director of films in the Indian Film I ...

. Dealing with the trials and tribulations of a middle-class family, the film stars

Nutan Nutan Samarth-Bahl ( Samarth; 4 June 1936 – 21 February 1991), known mononymously as Nutan was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Nutan was noted for her natu ...

, Shyama,

Durga Khote Durga Khote (née Vita Lad; 14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an Indian actress, beginning as one of the foremost leading ladies of her time. She remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starr ...

, Balraj Sahni and Sajjan in lead roles. Nutan earned positive notice for her portrayal of a tuberculosis patient and so did Sahni who played her brother. The film was a commercial success and established Nutan as a rising star in the film industry.

Cast

The cast is as follows: *

as Paro * Shyama as Shepali *

as Mother * Balraj Sahni as Raj * Sajjan as Anand * Anwar Hussain as Kundan * Kanhaiyalal as Lalaji / Haricharandas *

Manmohan Krishna Manmohan Krishna (26 February 1922 – 3 November 1990) was an Indian film actor and director, who worked in Hindi films for four decades, mostly as a character actor. He started his career as a professor in Physics and held master's degree i ...

as Mamaji *

Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...

as Dancer

Production

According to author Bunny Reuben, the film was Balraj Sahni's first break in the film industry.

Rajendra Kumar Rajendra Kumar (born as Rajendra Kumar Tuli; 20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999), was an Indian actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. Kumar was on ...

was first signed by producer Shah to play the part of Anand, but a few days into the filming was replaced by Sajjan. The film took six months to complete.

Release and reception

The film did well at the box office and, according to ''

Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry. Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...

'', was among the ten highest-grossing Indian films of 1951. Its success consolidated Nutan's position as a rising star. ''The Tribune'' wrote in a piece about Nutan's career, "Nutan projected the emotions of a tuberculosis patient so realistically that she went on to win laurels." Author Meghnad Desai described it as a "film about the problems faced by a lower middle class family", noting the acting of Nutan and Sahni, and calling it "a conscious criticism of how ordinary people were oppressed in their daily struggle against forces of power and wealth". Bunny Reuben praised it as "a strong, bold and outspoken film". Author and biographer

T. J. S. George Thayil Jacob Sony George (born 7 May 1928) is an Indian writer and biographer who received a Padma Bhushan award in 2011 in the field of literature and education.

wrote, "Zia Sarhadi's ''Humlog'' (1951) about the frustrations of the middle class was rendered sensitively by an inspired Balraj Sahni and a convincingly consumptive Nutan." ''Hum Log'' went on to form part of Sarhadi's trilogy of films made in the 1950s, along with ''

Footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...

'' (1953) and ''Awaaz'' (1956).

References

Sources

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External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0331261 1951 films 1950s Hindi-language films