For Mishal Raheja – with all due respect.
Mishal, you're an extraordinary actor. I could spend hours searching for the right adjectives to describe your breathtaking performances, but I wouldn't ever be able to find a single word that could possibly describe your powerful skills in acting. It would become a hopeless, frustrating task. But I'm hoping that you feel the recognition and wonder through my loss of words to describe the beauty of your acting.
I've followed the development of your character closely through the past year, and up until January 2011, I've felt that you were given the place, the respect that you deserve as a brilliant actor, as the perfect personification of Dutta. You started out a bit in the background with a few dialogues here and there, yet soon your screen presence started to grow – through your intense performance, you made yourself visible even in the background and it didn't take long for people to notice that they had a gem amongst their stones. You were given more screen presence, thank God for that. Your powerful performances established your character, established you as the very heart of the show without whom nothing could function rightly.
Your character became so strong over the past several months that no one seemed to remember that this show started with a typical Indian serial formula – a poor girl and her obstacles in life. Instead, it seemed to start (and end) with you; Dutta, the once innocent dreamer who was turned into a monster, a powerful man and protector of the poor who needed to be rescued from his own self-destruction. You created so many layers to Dutta that I often found myself discussing your character with my sister for hours on end. Every one of your movements were analyzed, everything that you did as Dutta mattered, breathed life into Dutta, made him all the more tangible. I've never fallen this hard for a fictional character, and to be honest – it's all thanks to you; it's because of your interpretation of him, because of the way that you portrayed him, brought life to him that I can say "I love Dutta".
Mishal, in the past two months – in my opinion – the screen presence, the focus on your character, has been snatched away. Whatever the reasons, I feel that this has not been fair to the character of Dutta and it hasn't been fair to you. Dutta was a strong, dominating character and he carried the show. The relationship that he shared with his mother, his brother-like friend, his love, and even the possibilities of the relationship that could be with his newfound sister – all of it combined with your portrayal of Dutta was the reason that I watched this show, enjoyed it, loved it.
Then came the changes in terms of directing, in terms of your character – and I have given it every chance that I could. But I am missing the magic, the uniqueness, the essence that used to be present on the show. I feel that your character is purposely being demeaned, a kind of slow assassination that has removed the dominating and powerful tinge that surrounded Dutta, pushing him into the background again.
Your brilliant performance in every scene is all that still makes me watch. You have less actual screen presence, less focus on your character, yet when you're in a scene, you still steal the show. My eyes zoom in on you – even if the camera does not.
I won't lie. I will stop watching the show if you leave. But I won't be so selfish as to ask you to stay, because I don't know what's really going on in your life right now – I don't know why you're sad or what's cooking between you and the PH. I'll only say this: Whatever you decide to do, I will support you one hundred percent – as long as you make the decision that is right for you.
Mishal, you owe us nothing. In fact, you have given us so much through Dutta that I don't know how to repay you. All I know is that you deserve much better than the recent month of belittled screen presence and character-oppression. You shouldn't settle for anything less than what you had a few months back; a dominating and strong character with Dutta-worthy screen presence. The show might have started with a story about a girl, but it became your show. It became Dutta's journey.
You're at a high point in your career right now. Please keep that in mind before you make your decision. I don't know where they're taking Dutta's character, but if it continues anything like it has for the past two months, then perhaps the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence.
It's not about us, your viewers. It's about your future as an actor, your career. So as long as you make the right choice for you, I'll be content and follow. Be it with or without Laagi Tujhse Lagan.
Cordially,
Elysia
NOTE to members of IF: This is an open letter to Mishal Raheja. Since I have no other way of reaching him and cannot even be certain that he reads the letter on this forum, I'm just shooting in the dark here and hoping that by some miracle my letter shows up on his radar (hopefully while he's surfing the Net 😃 Imagine that, Dutta Bhau surfing the Net *swoons*).
This isn't meant to offend anyone at all. I'm merely trying to reach Mishal in any way possible. I would appreciate it if members do not attack me in their comments (as I realize a lot of you probably disagree with me on several points in this letter – we've had discussions on his leave before) – I'm just opening my heart to the one person who had me watching this show, because I don't want him to feel bad about whatever decision he makes or feel that he owes anyone anything.
No Mishal = No LTL
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