Ladki ka saath V/S Dutta's need to touch Naku?

Yesterday's episode was very interesting as it touched on a poignant deficiency in Dutta's life. The first observation, painful and cruel, almost perverse was made by AS regarding Dutta's destiny to be forever deprived of a woman companion (ladki ka saath), and, effectively, joining the evil nay-sayers in further eroding Nakusha's chances of succeeding in her mission to bring back Dutta in the family fold. AS did not shock us as her reaction was expected. The second and more shocking for me was Baaji's regretful observation about Dutta doing his utmost to avoid any contact/with Nakusha. Coming from Dutta's best friend, it may well, evoke fun because of the harmless and funny undertones for the way the menfolk in PN are deemed on the forum, as looking up to each other, especially, the Baaji/Dutta friendship, which, thankfully, remains a joke.

Both assertions from these two central characters in Dutta's life have a crucial resonance in his ability to reconnect with his physical world and, consequently, Nakusha's as well. And that is the power of touch, literally. I would, however, like to emphasize on a humble word of caution, at the outset of this post. It is not to be interpreted as a wish to see touch at a basically intimate level between a couple but rather touch as a healing factor. I have dealt, partially, with this aspect of LTL in earlier posts but AS and Baaji's statements yesterday set me thinking about how Dutta has been pushed in the abyss by virtue of his isolation, either by choice (his own or others) and, more seriously, by intent (by others who only want to harm). A touch is a must in any relationship, be it between, parents and their children, siblings, friends or lovers.

The young and destitute Dutta, ten years ago, was revelling in the hope that whatever he would touch would make him and others happy. We all know what happened and the ensuing turn that made him the Don who without realising shut himself in a world where no-one was allowed to intrude or touch. He was jolted back to reality when he encountered the guileless, yet enigmatic Nakusha who even he credits, for shattering the thick walls that encompassed his inner world. For the first time after many years, Dutta, unconsciously found in Nakusha, a friend that he could touch or pull by her arms/wrists or push to the point of hurting her. And this was a practice/sin he had never indulged in before. Nakusha, from there onwards, assumed a privileged position in his life as the loyal servant/friend able to move the mighty, almost recluse Dutta. She succeeded because she was not aware of Dutta's inhibitions, insecurities or dangers that he faced (apart from that of his profession). Her practical, down to earth approach did the rest and we found Dutta opening up to his family and a possible new alliance with Supriya. The need to touch these people was however never emphasized in LTL except for the odd moment with AS.

Sadly that was short-lived and Supriya's elopement set the stage for the rollercoaster which changed both Dutta and Nakusha's life irrevocably. For Dutta, the touch became violent, spiteful, almost to the point of torture for he needed to punish her by the very same sensation and need of touch that she had initiated unknowingly. Nakusha, forever the grateful loyal servant/friend who had confessed her love by then, did all in her powers to bring him back from the brink and succeeded yet again. I could recount so many instances where we saw Dutta desperate to touch Nakusha but the most poignant and heartwarming ones are for me, the one just before Naku's kidnap by Anna's men when we see a shy Dutta, unsuccessfully, trying to hold Nakusha's left hand and secondly the one when he goes on his knees to try the necklace/payal in front of everybody.

Dutta had almost come full circle by then as he had shed most of his inhibitions for the woman he loves. That touch smacking of intimacy and his acceptance of his feelings for Nakusha was a booster in a beautiful love story as Dutta was a healed man. "Action speaks louder than Words." This maxim rightly proves its content as when you have no words to express your love a Little Touch says everything for you.

This was too much for his detractors/enemies. Kala, more specifically, read the dangers that this ability to touch again meant and set out to destroy her arch-enemy. I will not go in details as you can piece them together. Her intention was to annihilate/isolate Dutta completely to avenge her father's death. But I would argue that it was more, perversely, to appropriate all that Dutta had ever achieved on the material and emotional front to assuage her need to have a vice-like grip on the PN household. She was able to separate the new husband and wife yet again and dealt the deadliest blow to Dutta by depriving him of his SR, the night Dutta had waited for the most, ever since he realized the extent of his love for Nakusha. The SR or shall I say the ultimate touch did not happen for reasons that are history on LTL but it did not stop Dutta from touching (read pushing/brandishing/.hurting) Nakusha (post FR). Whilst he would not bear Nakusha trying to touch him, he could not stop visualizing her in her old black avatar touching him as shown in the Monday's episode. I had written in one of my post of "Dutta's anguished plea to Nakusha to let him sleep in her lap is symbolical as for the first time he did not seek his mother's lap but that of the woman he wishes to have besides him now", and of his need to connect/touch, physically the love of his life.

We will have to wait and see how LTL unfolds over the next few weeks and see how Dutta emerges from this latest tragedy in his life and that of Nakusha. It all seems difficult, almost impossible. Yet I see in his continued touch, albeit to hurt Nakusha, his inner battles for the love that he does not want to lose. We saw the yearning moments on Monday and it gives us hopes for a reunion which would be all the more beautiful as both friends/foe now a couple would have cleared the chaos ravaging their lives. The much awaited episode where Dutta is supposed to be bringing an injured Nakusha in his arms back to PN will hopefully set the stage for new beginnings, and, Nakusha together with Dutta, will hopefully start healing the wounds in a relationship more than words can ever describe. Dutta's lips cry foul all the time but his body language implicitly portrays his desperate need to touch Nakusha even if it were to hurt her to convince us that all is not lost. AS dejected "prophecy" is but a cry of anguish/confusion/helplessness and Baaji's fear to lose his friend was needed to snap him out of his lethargy.

So to all his detractors/enemies?.Read Kala and unknown, doubting AS/scared Baaji, Dutta will learn to live again and happily too. It wiill take some time, yet, but Nakusha summarized her confidence in her love brillantly yesterday by goading Baaji about the fact that the latter may be scared of his friend but that she is not afraid of her husband. I am sure that she would not be able to utter the same words had Dutta banished her from Patil Niwas but is relying on her natural instincts as a woman can sense the tremor and trauma a man is going through by a mere touch. In her case Dutta never stopped. Nakusha is, actually, the only girl that Dutta has been shown touching freely through the different doomed phases of his life.

Would love to hear your comments!😊

Beautiful, beautiful post, Kavitha! I do not know where to begin! Man, your analysis is awesome!

Yes, the need to touch is essential indeed. He might have once been a happy child. But after Seema's betrayal he distanced himself from every relation. True, he cared about his family, but there were invisible walls he had built up. The fact that he shrank away from others' touch, makes us believe that he did it so that he'd never be hurt again. I've noticed that people either fear or revere Dutta. With the exception of Baaji, and AS(?) not many people really love him. And even with them, he wears a mask of aloofness. His reluctance to smile, appreciate a joke, and even join in when the others are making merry is proof to this. Being heartless, emotionless is the safest way out for Dutta, to never get hurt again. He never wanted to be as vulnerable or naive as he had been with Seema.

Then came Nakusha, with her unfeigned innocence and faith. Someone expressing such genuine interest in his well-being was a surprise to Dutta. And the fact that this chit of a girl wasn't scared of him, or repulsed by him...made him stop and take notice. Like he confessed during the SR, the first time he met Nakusha he felt a strange restlessness, a yearning he'd never known before. Every time she urged him to give himself a chance, or to share his sorrows, he found himself enraptured by her. Other than Baaji, he's never had a friend. And a girl at that. What they say of a man needing a woman is true indeed. Even as a friend. And so Dutta found himself drawn to her, like never before. He found himself taking liberties with her, telling her things he'd never willingly told anyone. Somewhere Dutta felt that this was one person who cared. Who would never betray him. I always used to get this feeling that Naku was, for Dutta, this little girl with a big heart. In their earliest scenes together...he seems amused by her, enchanted too...but most of all there's this twinkle in his eyes when he looks at her.

Like you said, I have also noticed that Naku is the only person(girl) whom he is so free with. In the sense that he takes her hand and sometimes pushes her around. It's almost like he owns her. When he was in love with her, we saw the painfully shy Dutta hold her hand sometimes, and sometimes take her face in his hands and gaze deep into her eyes. The contact was minimal, and yet it was poignant. What you've said about the SR also makes sense. it is not about the physical aspect, but had their marriage been consummated..it would have deepened their bond, rather strengthened it. There is this connection you make with your partner's soul when you are in love. And the SR would have fortified it, had it been with both parties in complete understanding of each other. Yes, it does make sense. I believe that a woman, when she loves a man, plays the part of a lover, a mother, a daughter, a friend...and thus she becomes the man's soulmate. She gives him that fulfilment he has been seeking. This has been the case with Dutta. Dutta has been playing it safe. He doesn't want to get hurt. His love for Nakusha will now make Dutta take that risk. He will risk getting hurt, because he needs her more than he needs to breathe. Nakusha is the fulfilment he's been yearning for. And once the differences are settled, their relation will enter that phase where they will discover that they are true soulmates, in every sense.

Well..very well said..kavitha and liz...i don't have much to add here...there is enough..mental bonding between tasha...a reason why he is miffed at her is probably...that she lied about her physical appearance thinking that he is that superficial as to not understand..and not because she is beautiful...

@ Kavita & Liz.. Thanks a lot for the post 👏

Very well analysed.... this was always behind my mind... as to how their relationship would grow in terms of physical initmacy as tt would definitely take their relation to a different level...

As far as Naku is concerned.. we have been shown her yearning for Dutta's subtle touch and affection in her dreams.. but where Dutta is concerned its still a ???

@KavitaDR – Some of our forum members may think we are delving too deeply into LTL storyline but somehow I have read more into LTL's need to think outside the box on social issues and more indept human relationships as it relates to real life situations.

I am not sure if the LTL CV's have even thought to explore the key concepts of loneliness, existentialism and touch as it relates to therapeutic relationship for D and N

There have been and is still a growing body of writing, theory and research in the field of touch and development that is of extreme importance to the studies of human development, health, and sexuality Freud (1949) Harry Harlow (1958, 1962) and Dr. Rene Spitz(1945, 1947)

This as it relates to LTL seems to me is lacking in Dutta as he had stated once before in one episode he has taken care of himself since childhood.

@Lizdarcy

Hi Liz,

Thank you for your patient and detailed reply to my post. Circumstances permitting, we should probably have sat down and written that together. Our passion for LTL or, rather Dutta the character, has been inspirational and for the first time, I have tempted myself to move from the factual to delve into the multi-dimensional use of senses and its importance in real life and on celluloid. The small/big screen should be the mirror that showcases all facets of human behaviour and nature. LTL despite being a fantasist's delight has been able to showcase complexities that will remain unchartered territory on Indian TV for a long time if I am to judge by the content of so many shows where the pseudo-need to show social issues leads to lots of confusion and distortion of real human behaviour.

I am thankful that LTL steered clear of this stifling tendency to be a mirror of perceived "social and acceptable norms and patterns" in broader terms and chose to showcase love and its perception in a simple, touching and unique way. The creative team is normally at the receiving end of lots of flak and for the first time ever, I am tempted to give the Devil their due. 👏👏👏Thank you. This recognition is also extended to MR/MV ⭐️⭐️👏👏in the way they embraced the characters of Dutta and Nakusha and made it so palpable and real for us. They have, undoubtedely, touched our hopelessly romantic chords but more importantly enabled lots of people (at least from what I can gather) to put in perspective their thoughts for love as an essential emotion for the positive development of the human being at a basic and psychological level.

I was wary to start this thread on touch as it can easily lead on slippery grounds as we are not relational experts. But Dutta and his portrayal of personal inadequacies and inability to relate in a coherent manner to his emotions and anger (sometimes suppressed, sometimes downright destructive) could be attributed to the level of intrigue around him but in a more real sense to the fact that he has been deprived of love, of the human touch. Touch deprived people have more difficulty discriminating between pleasure and pain. They are more likely to engage in self-destructive conduct and have more serious problems with behaviours that are innately pleasurable, such as affectionate touch, hence the hostile world they end up inhabiting. This is one reason LTL will remain close to our heart. 😊