CV's ultimate stroke of grace for our beloved LTL? - Page 2

Hi Kavi

I am amazed by how well you can write and that too logically.. I don't think I can reply to a post like this even in a million years as it is too indepth and questioning so many things!

But as u have quoted that love is endurance and love is patience is what LTL has taught you and me too, let's just give the show a bit more of that now.. I completely agree that the DP track was a complete waste of time and we as viewers don't care if PH/Channel was responsible for this as ultimately it is LTL and its viewers who have suffered.. of course, actors also suffer esp someone as talented and hardworking as MR as he seems like the one who wants a challenge every day.. To be honest, I was wondering a while ago, that would MR get tired of the track now as it is fairly similar to the track we had after first marriage..ok, there are differences as this time around he is angry that she hid the truth, but trust her and her love.. whereas after first marriage, he hated her as could not believe someone to whom he had opened his heart out could back stab him and he passed the verdict of guilty without even letting her speak..but in terms of creative satisfaction I have wondered whether he felt the two tracks to be fairly similar..

But all said and done, I still think we should give it a bit more time..MR not commenting about all this in the media is definitely telling me that some things are not set in stone yet.. maybe there is still scope for him to return and which is why we need to keep pushing our appeals/petitions so that the channel/PH wake up.. so, I am not going to write off the show just yet..

Originally posted by: KavitaDR

LTL crossed another milestone today. But unlike former occasions when we have rejoiced because CVs would have marvelled us with a resurgence bordering on vindication in terms of treatment and compelling many on the verge of giving up on the show to do a u-turn, today, they embarked on the ultimate and sacrilegious dismantling of a love story full of flaws, but infinitely beautiful nonetheless, as it allowed us on a journey into the minds of the protagonists and made us experience the events in their screen lives. This had, rarely, been attempted with such intensity on Indian TV almost creating a benchmark for Indian soaps. Unfortunately, the CVs have never been consistent and it seems that they can no longer halt the downwards slope with the sudden introduction of a parallel track which will spell the death of the initial storyline. Indeed, since when did members of a Don's family ever call upon the police authorities for help to find the Don himself and the perpetrators of crime against him? All this murky business is supposed to be sorted using a highly organised and internal justice/tracking system which has never failed in the underworld. Yet, Nakusha decides to take things in her hands breaking rules that have been the backbone of Dutta's criminal empire. It is painful but I feel that the time has come for a pre-emptive post-mortem, if and when, MR quits in February and, more importantly, with the sudden introduction of convoluted tracks adding to a number of others that have been sidelined or simply forgotten altogether by the CVs.

After seeing MR shooting for LTL in the telly news, I regained the lost light of my eyes & promptly was in front of my TV at 8.30 pm to catch a glimpse of my beloved in the ending or atleast in the precap after staying away for two days.But to my horror I'm seeing Nakusha turning to of all people the Police for help in finding her missing husband & the criminals who caused him harm.What happened to the army raised by D on whose might he was ruling Patilwadi? Has she any respect for Baji or his position with D or is he her mere driver?Is this her way of waging a war with an enemy who resides under the same roof as her? By filing a report with the police? I always had my reservations about this particular character & today again she didn't fail to prove me right.

Questions/Confusion

Could it be that LTL finally bowed down to the dreaded "Ektaish edicts" for Indian soaps? What went wrong and how did it all start and how does MR "quitting" the show add up to the general sensation of malaise and the insidious feeling that there is much more behind the scenes? Also, how do we explain the protracted silence from all those concerned, the PH, the CVs, the Channel and more, importantly, Mishal Raheja himself, who we have no doubt, is a complete professional. He has, however, made a mistake by failing to give a statement regarding the uproar the TB article has produced among fans in general. Having been closely associated with the media world for some years, I can, safely, vouch for the fact that any self-respecting PH or creative team working within the strict precincts of commercial TV, would have come forward, to at least clear the air, as all the speculations will, eventually, prove to be very damaging for the show, and yet, they chose to stay quiet since the story blew up. Could it be that there has always been a sense of disconnect between the way the audience think and the CVs/PH/Channel's orientation for the show. Something does not exactly seem right somewhere....As regards, Mishal Raheja, enough has been said on the Forum these last few day as to the powerhouse of talent that he represents among the current crop of actors on screen or the respect we have for any decisions he takes to pursue his career. Hence the positive encouragement he has garnered among fans, should he really be quitting LTL in February. However, he owes it to the same adoring fans to come clear in the interest of the image of integrity he has always projected for his craft.

Continued silence on all fronts points to one thing only.That they themselves are not sure of what is going to happen next.Its an indication of the total pandemonium that must have broken out during the past few weeks. With the star of the show throwing in the towel, the lead actress frequent leave of absence due to her other commitment, frequent handing over of director's reins to random people.One can't imagine how that beautiful dream called LTL can be woven under such chaotic atmosphere.

The story so far and when did it start going pear-shaped?

I will not re-hash the whole story as we all agree that despite all the drag fests, (especially Supriya's protracted wedding preparations or the Ganesh Utsav track) LTL evolved and managed to hold and sway the majority audience. A moving tale of metamorphosis, LTL conquered because of its subtle and unadulterated romanticism between two souls aspiring for love, boundless, infinite, characterised by detachment, mystery, and freedom from the material. LTL was a first as it had the guts to tell us a story of dualities, between the pure abstract sensation and the literal, between the crowd and the alienated individual, between man and nature, between the rational and the irrational, the dream, real and fantasy. In short, this was a tale of stasis and change between two diametrically opposed individuals born to complete each other, yet emphasising personal feelings through fierce individualism and emotional expression. We, often, raged at the pace the story evolved but we relished every moment, every expression, and every exchange and applauded the CVs for the many instances when they showed love as a perception almost akin to the third dimension.

Convoluted and incomplete tracks

It was, unfortunately, too good to be true and the slope downwards once they introduced the many convoluted tracks as from September seemed inevitable. Indeed, post the introduction of DP's character, LTL's storyline took a plunge with the CVs starting to play yoyo with the characters. The centrality which defined Dutta and Nakusha's characters, even Baaji's to a certain extent up to that time seemed to shift. Many on the forum may disagree but it would seem that there has been an unconscious attempt at "dumbing down" Dutta's character. Had it not been for MR's ability to play on the subtle nuances with a unique depiction of emotions, any other actor would have fallen in a heap.

Bang on! "Yes! Three months ago I was frantically trying to find a word for what was happening to the man I love most in this world.He was being "dumbed down". He had become a bimbo.There in the show for aesthetic value only.How painful it was to see him in those colourful kurtas standing in the crowd cluelessly as a glorified extra.While a woman with a quater of his brain & even more colourful sarees & face paints had wrapped the most powerful man in Ratnagiri around her overbejewelled finger.It was so pathetic to watch I stayed away for almost a month and a half & only started watching it again on the 1 hr special wedding episode.I was wary of saying this before but Bollywood is not the reason for MR leaving. I'm sure like me he too must hate to watch himself act out such a precarious & hollow character day in day out.No wonder then he wants out.

Nakusha's persona, also suffered, with the many aspects of her single-minded passion and the wonderful wisdom/philosophy she imparted to D about everyday life's hardships that was shown from January onwards to the end of the DP track sidelined. I could argue the same for Baaji's character, so full of life from January up to the beginning of DP's track that, somehow, got lost in translation. I move on to the dynamics between Babi and Naku which may have jarred because of overkill on Babi's part but her departure seems to have left a void with a sensation of a missing link along with Sethji's playfulness. And what do I say about Kishore, Leela, Roops and Madhu, relegated to being peripheral characters who we could very well do without if we are to judge by the screen space they have had. The story was always about Nakusha and Dutta, one may counteract, but even they seem to have become secondary to the plot with the footage given to the Kala track and the sudden parachuting of Sudarshan as an appendage to move the story forward. We are disappointed that for reasons best known to the CVs, LTL which did balance the negative aspect of the storyline with Kala (No major contentions) because of the need to show the conflict between Good and Evil. But why give the impression that it is Kala who is now calling the shots in the whole plot and its dynamics in relation to Dutta, Nakusha, Baaji or AS.

I was going thru some of the comments at the TB article page where one commentator says," If there is one person who ought to go out of LTL for the show to regain its lost glory, Its Kalawati." I agree 100%. From an eternal love story of a Don & his pristine maid the story has moved to the awful & ridiculous track of the unjustified,baseless & bewildering scheming & plotting of a housewife with supernatural powers.Planting bombs,conjuring poisons from thin air,having a huge team of henchmen to do her bidding against the ruler of their town, conducting elaborate & loud hatching of plans/meetings/drink parties in rooms which are near the rooms of her cousin & mother without them having an inkling of what's going on.Do the CVs think we don't notice such things? Why is this woman suddenly being portrayed as the only one having a brain in the household? While the rest are simply sleepwalking their way thru the day including D.

Selective amnesia/Stagnation

Could it be that the main actors, especially, MR may feel neglected with these clear indicators pointing towards the dilution of his character, and the, subsequent plot assassination we have witnessed?

Yes!The one & only reason for the current auditions rounds going on at Playhouse Creations.

And, how do we react to the inclusion with fanfare of so many insignificant tracks which fell apart from the word go and never made any significant contribution to the storyline? I would cite the theories of the Badi Hasti (confined to history), the mystery surrounding AS magnanimousness, DP's letter to Dutta, Madhu's entry, a tentative transformation of Roops etc. There was so much material left untapped that would have given life to a show that has been sadly stagnating for the six months out of the 12 it has been on air now. Boredom, a feeling of helplessness is bound to creep in on the sets and affect the morale of the actors, especially, those like MR who has clearly invested a large part of his own persona to give credibility and a larger than life perspective to Dutta's character. I, for one, do not blame him, if he, confirms, that he is leaving the show. Judging by what we have seen as the deconstruction of LTL as a love story with dark shades is concerned, it would not be presumptuous of us to argue that CVs can only beat a dead horse up to a certain point and it would be in the interest of the story to see the happy culmination of Dutta and Nakusha's love, and stop the destruction of a beautiful, deeply moving, and incredibly inspiring TV show without thoughts for all the hard work everyone on the sets would have put in this venture. I have learnt from LTL that love is patience, love is endurance, love is not just after one's own benefits and that love shines. And this is the memory that we want to cherish and will refrain from even speculating on a laughable parallel track with an undercover cop.

That will be the height of injustice towards the character of Dutta & the loyal audience who have stayed with the show during both the high & low points.That some cop comes & accomplishes all that couldn't be accomplished by an excetionally intelligent,sensitive,kind & honourable man.Anything but that,CVs.

As always beautifully written Kavita.👏All my concerns & disappointments of the past few months are addressed here.Thank u for coming out with such a post at this time.👍🏼

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KavitaDR - Agree with all you points. Since I do not contribute much to posts, I just wanted to add some of my thoughts though they may mirror yours. Although the story began with Nakusha in the Basti December 2009, the life of the LTL storyline started with the introduction of Dutta January 27th 2010. The persona, the posture, the non-verbal communication with the use of his eyes that he emoted, captivated the LTL fans and though his mannerism was scripted and directed, MR's dedicated contribution added much more resonance to this character and the entire LTL story. It appears that when this LTL story started, the LTL creative team did not know that this unusual story would grab the attention and interest of many well educated professionals who saw this the makings of memorable serial which would forever stay in the hearts of many. LTL, from the first episode and the emergence of greatness in the story beginning in January depicted the much needed beautiful relationships/connection between the main characters that most real humans need in their everyday life. This story in the first few months showed the meaningful brotherly love/relationship between non-blood related people(Dutta and Baji), the caring non-blood related brother/sister love (Kishore and Nakusha). The brotherly/sisterly love of Sethji and Nakusha. The warmth of big brother/younger brother interactions and role model (Baji and Sethji) although they were not blood related. Mother/daughter love who were also close friends(Babi and Nakusha) and mother/son immense love (AS and Dutta). Most importantly the beautiful soulful relationship between strangers intially, who became friends and eventually fell in love with the subtle magic most dream off despite the difference in both their worlds (Dutta and Nakusha) Most would agree that the virtues from these kind of relationships are the keys to human coexistence, survival and eternal happiness. Instead, the essence of this beautiful story began to disintergate after the 1st week of the DP track. Much emphasis was put, time wise into the Supriya track(Feb to Mid May) 3+ months that gave so much screen space to Kala and again following the DP track from October to date the emphasis on Kala/Suds. Although the Supriya track was so needed, it should not have taken up so much time which started with a "hatred" storyline then becoming outright psychotic during and after the DP track, taking up another 3+ to 4 months to this day of LTL time. In all close to 6-7 months were used for unneeded episodes. LTL's beauty changed when hatred and outright psychotic emotions were introduced. I am at loss as to why LTL CV's felt that hatred instead of the loving relationships would captivate and retain an audience. I will still hope though if MR stays and LTL continues that LTL CV's would visit this forum more frequently (if they do at all) for assitance with the carrying the story forward and as KavitaDR has mentioned make a an Indian Television benchmark. Thanks so much for all the dedicated time and love you have put into your creative and analytical posts since you began in September.