Were we ever compelled to confront the possibility that hatred could be a virtue and that we could, possibly, be ardent supporters or peddlers of hate, we would be ashamed and deny the case but yesterday's episode of LTL set my mind at rest in the sense that if hatred be the only way to walk the path of self-righteousness, so be it. Being a, totally, hopeless Dutta addict, I could not but approve the latter's abhorrence for anything, remotely, connected to the root cause of all his misfortune and long sufferance, I have got no qualms to concede that hate could indeed be virtuous as it is this very hatred that is going to take him back to Nakusha, the love of his life after having put to rest all the demons of his past. Especially, now that Seema seems to be losing all sense of reality and slipping into a state of delusional "enchantment" that she could possibly rekindle the feelings Dutta ever harboured for her, despite the news article confirming the existence of Dutta's wife.
I will confess that the lecherous handling of Seema by Chaskar on Tuesday, momentarily, evoked pity and I thought that her attempts to seek redemption were commendable after having lived a "life of sin" but yesterday's thoughtless declaration that Dutta could forgive her and accept her back in his life gave us all the creeps and throws Seema right back in the throes of hell and robs us all of any sense of charity for her. It may sound extremely harsh but realities, always, have been.
One may well argue that Dutta's "virtuous hatred" denotes a wish to discover or amend his own faults without atoning for his obstinate adherence to his own beliefs and perception about trust by the most virulent intolerance to human frailties as shown in his ill-treatment of Nakusha right from the first forceful marriage and his unbridled reactions post Nakusha's FR. It was only after being, literally, pushed to the deepest recesses of physical as well as the mental torture of being deprived, firstly, of one of his senses (sight) and being separated from his family, especially, his wife that he has finally understood the value and reverence he owes Nakusha for her unswerving loyalty/love/deference towards him and his family despite his continuous and vicious allegations of her being a traitor. Thankfully, he sets on the path of redemption on his own with no third party oral or subliminal prompting (as in the case of Jagtap or Subbalaxmi), but that is at the price of redeeming hate. Dutta, suddenly, became too wise, whilst Seema became more foolish than she had ever been by rejecting Dutta in the first place ten years ago. And we wonder why both did not come to any form of self-realisation before.
Seema, shown as desirous of appropriating someone else's husband represents the quintessence of fallen humanity and how could we, now stop ourselves from hating her character as much as Dutta hates her with every breath and fibre of his being. Seema in this one instant displays that aspect of fallen human nature which is the necessary counterpart to the central human difficulty: our insatiable need to love ourselves despite everything and she loses the little respect Dutta or anyone could have granted her for saving the latter's life. She has, consciously, sounded the death knell for herself and she will be condemned to be perpetually dissatisfied and roaming from one experience or creaturely object (Chaskar as a perfect example) to another, striving to satisfy with finite things that which could only be satisfied by love which would have been in her case her personal redemption by gifting the blessings of happiness and love to the young man she once loved by taking him back to his wife. Alas for Seema, and, thankfully, for Nakusha and Dutta, her illusory and fleeting sense of "fulfilment" in the belief that she has been given another chance by the Gods will leave her craving for love eternally.
And what about Dutta's redemption and can we, now be assured that his hatred for the woman who brought him to his knees ten years ago is driven by the right motives? The answer is yes and this new Dutta, loving his wife will tender to their love with sensitivity, trust, confidence and the safe and certain knowledge that doing so will give him the necessary reality check on himself and all the relationships around him. I would like to quote Victor Hugo in the context of Dutta's impairment and his realisation of what Nakusha represents to him."We may remark in passing that to be blind and beloved may, in this world where nothing is perfect, be among the most strangely exquisite forms of happiness. The supreme happiness in life is the assurance of being loved; of being loved for oneself, even in spite of oneself; and this assurance the blind man possesses. In his affliction, to be served is to be caressed. Does he lack anything? No. Possessing love he is not deprived of light. A love, moreover, that is wholly pure. There can be no blindness where there is this certainty." Dutta has at long last snapped out of his self-denial after going through the physical pain of not being able to reach out to Nakusha, but yet mentally, convinced that the latter is out there searching the darkness that has, momentarily, shrouded both of them. Dutta will soon be able to complete the cycle which would allow his regeneration from beast to a better human being. He will now be able to look into Seema's eyes and thank her, albeit with hatred, for opening the doors of a world where he discovered the real meaning of selfless and unconditional love.
Hats off to Mishal Raheja for the magnificent portrayal of a man wounded in his soul and so scared of occupying the "corrupted space" inhabited by Seema, that he literally "retched" and pulled his kurta when he heard Seema talking about her hopes of winning him back. Except for the fact that CVs needed to have Dutta acknowledge his conscience loud and clear, we could have done away with this monologue, so effective was Mishal. If anybody could have projected hatred as being a virtue, it is Mishal who will never cease to amaze us. It is a pity that Praneeta Sahu (Seema) and the Chacha are just run of the mill ordinary actors as had they been able to match MR's flawless performance, they would have elevated this track to unseen heights through a measured use of screen psychology. We will have to be content with MR.
I have not watched today's episode as yet and it would seem that CV's have opted to leave us all high and dry after raising our expectations about Dutta's call to Nakusha. Delusional "enchantment" does not seem to be exclusively Seema's forte and I just read that Nakusha has set out the landscapes of Patil Wadi wielding a gun (nothing unusual'.her own hubby started her initiation) to calm down the inhabitants of Patil Wadi. Had we had the phone conversation today, it would have been some consolation to mark the 1st anniversary of Dutta's entry in Nakusha's life and weaving magic on screen. So let us continue with what we do best on the Forum by carrying on with our minute dissection of every scene and aspect of a show that seems to keep us gripped despite all the bloopers and conceptual setbacks. This is what I would qualify as redeeming love merging with Dutta's redeeming hatred one year onwards.
Somethings never change.Like the hindi proverb,"Sab badal saktaa hai lekin fithrath kabhi nahin badalti" (Everything changes but nature never does). How beautifully Chanda proved this to be so true while dreaming aloud outside D's door two days ago. Even today its I, Me,Myself for her. That this is somebody's son lying helpless & injured here while his mother is being told that her son is no more makes absolutely no difference to her.Did she think of that for even a second? That his family & the poor residents who depend on their sustenance on him do not even figure in her thinking.You don't have to be a noble & saintly like Nakusha Bhao Saab to think in this manner.Any normal & good hearted woman would first think of informing his immediate family of his safety. She barely manages a drunk chaskar how will she protect D against the armed & alert gang of his. The lack of surprise she exhibited after reading abt D in the papers clearly indicates she knew about D's profession & his life.Then she is also aware that D has his own army better equipped to protect him. So her justification of keeping him hidden falls flat miserably.
