Hello! Welcome to the forum!
Some characters are just so grand and overwhelming that they embody not only themselves, but entire worlds of the stories they are situated in. Dutta is one such character, without whom, there is no Patil family, there is no Patil Wadi and there is certainly no truth to Nakusha, for her world and being both revolve around him, as do those of all others in this tale. And without Mishal Raheja, there is no Dutta, because he is the one who has given this character a soul. He is the one who has displayed all of Dutta's complexities, moods, emotions, thoughts, silences and prejudices...he is the one who has embodied Dutta just like the character of Dutta has embodied LTL.
For me, MR, Dutta and LTL are interchangeable. And so I don't think it would be fair to say that I am only watching for an actor, regardless of what happens in the show or storyline, because as I said before, the three are interchangeable for me...if one declines and drops, the others cannot maintain equilibrium. If the story of LTL or any show mutates and becomes unbearable, no actor can make me watch it, regardless of how great he or she might be or how much I like them, because material, concept and writing are 'god' in the formation of any show, movie or play. MR has given life and soul to the writing in this show, so much so that they are one and the same for me. I cannot imagine watching LTL without him, because for me, he is synonymous to Dutta and LTL. If I do not give another actor a 'chance' as Dutta, it is not because I hate them or because I'm not attached to the storyline...it is because I associate only one man with Dutta and if he does not remain the same, nothing else remains the same. I can just as well watch something else, something fresh, rather than building a reconstruction over something I have loved and appreciated in the past.
I know for a fact also that there are other members who value LTL for its storyline and unique treatment too. But they will state the above as well upon being asked because this story is not beyond its characters...it is so great because of its characters 😊 And the characters are so great and have formed images in our minds because of the actors who play and do justice to them, be it Mishal, Mahi, Vinay, Aashka or any of the others. So I do not watch for the leads, no. I watch for LTL as a whole, and even if any one of its integral factors are missing, that 'whole' will not be whole for me anymore. I will watch the show till it is whole for me, and when it's not, I will not feel compelled to give it a chance and neither should anyone else just because of the storyline or to give another actor a chance. I watch something for the entertainment and the personal appeal it holds for me. When that goes poof, there is nothing wrong in waving tata-byebye to it.