Heroine hat-trick
Rejection, deception and jealousy will not deter three ingénue heroines from fighting for love in three brand-new telenovelas coming to DStv in March.
Things have kicked off a little shakily this year, with the world still living with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic that, like some telenovelas, has decided to be renewed for a second season. Joh, talk about drama! Now it’s time for something new – and DStv has three brand-new telenovelas hitting tlnovelas (*133) during March that will spice up your TV viewing.
The three shows are being led by a trio of beautiful ingénues whose stories will grip you and inspire you – here’s why you are going to love them in these addictive Mexican shows…
DON’T MESS WITH AN ANGEL
In this Mexican telenovela (originally called Cuidado Con El Ángel when it first aired in 2008 and 2009), Marichuy (Maite Perroni, Esmerelda in the telenovela The Stray Cat, 2014) grew up as a humble orphan after her birth mother Cecilia (Helena
Rojo, Dora in telenovela
The Heart Is Never Wrong, 2019), who was afraid she would die, gave her to a priest who then abandoned her at an orphanage. At the age of 14, Marichuy ran away from the orphanage, only to be sexually assaulted by a drunken stranger.
Wandering the streets and stealing to survive, she is taken in by Candelaria (Evita Muñoz, whose last role before passing away in 2016 was Socorro in drama series The Rose Of Guadalupe, 2011-2013) who gets her settled at a tenement. Everybody in the tenement house loves Marichuy and she is happy telling stories to the children that live there – until she gets news that the children at the orphanage where she grew up are starving.
Caught by the authorities, Marichuy has a chance encounter with psychiatrist Juan Miguel (William Levy, Alejandro in Love Spell, 2009) who takes an interest in her. But a terrible secret from their past looms over them.
Why the heroine? Marichuy is clever and feisty despite all of the horrible things that have happened to her.
Her sense of justice is heightened, and that is why she will even steal to feed the hungry. She is a true diamond in the rough – which the hunky Juan Miquel sees. Because of the potential she has within her, we give Marichuy our heroine stamp of approval.
Watch Don’t Mess With An Angel season 1, weekdays on tlnovelas (*133) 19:15
Fiorella’s life falls apart and she tries to fix it.
ITALIAN BRIDE
Beautiful Fiorella Bianchi (Livia Brito, Regina in telenovela Médicos, Línea De Vida, 2019) comes from a disadvantaged background in this Mexican telenovela (called Muchacha Italiana Viene A Casarse, 2014-2015), but that doesn’t keep her from daydreaming about a fairytale wedding with a man she once saw on the street. Nevertheless, she must carry responsibility for her family as she takes on the role of mother to her younger sister Gianna (Ela Velden, Carla in drama series Rubí, 2020), who suffers from a heart disease, as well as care for her father, Mario (Ricardo Blume in his final role before passing away in October 2020), who is terminally sick with pneumonia.
Fiorella’s whole world comes tumbling down when she gets fired from her job and finds her father dead at home. Mario, who knew his time was up, asked his friend, the 60-year-old Vittorio Dragone (Enrique Rocha, Don Mauro in telenovela Me Declaro Culpable, 2017-2018), who lives in Mexico, to help his daughters in his absence. Vittorio agrees to help but deceives Fiorella by pretending that he is younger and offers to marry her. Fiorella has no choice but to accept, but her and Gianna’s journey take on a different turn when they arrive in Mexico to start afresh.
Why the heroine? Fiorella is the poster child for selflessness as she puts the needs of her sister above her own. She knows nothing of Vittorio, but agrees to start a life with him so that she can care for her sister, and in our books that makes her a true heroine indeed. Watch Italian Bride season 1, weekdays on tlnovelas (133) at 17:40.
THE COLOR OF PASSION
It’s a complicated family drama in this Mexican telenovela that was called El Color De La Pasión when it aired in 2014. Happy couple Adriana (Ariadne Días, Marisa in telenovela Tenías Que Ser Tú, 2018) and Alonso (René Strickler, Luis in telenovela Road To Destiny, 2006) are torn apart by tragedy and jealousy. Adri-ana’s sister
Rebeca (Claudia Ramírez,
Irene in telenovela Fuego Ardiente 2021) has envied Adriana’s social position and marriage to Alonso for years, and when Adriana is cut out of the picture by falling down a flight of stairs, Rebeca becomes the new Mrs Gaxiola, looking after her newborn niece Lucia as though it was her child.
Years later, Rebeca and Alonso’s marriage is on the rocks, and Rebeca has numerous affairs in her closet until her most recent lover Federico
(Alfonso Dosal, Carlos in telenovela Aqui
En La Tierra, 2018) commits suicide over her cruelty. Federico’s brother Marcelo (Erick Elias, Julio in the telenovela Secrets At The Hotel, 2016) sets out to get to the bottom of his brother’s death and falls in love with Rebeca’s now-adult neice Lucia (Esmeralda Pimentel, Veronica in telenovela El Candidato, 2020).
Why the heroine? In this instance, we give the heroine crown to Lucia. She is raised by her nasty aunt and despite being put down most of her life, she still has dreams and ambitions. Her love for Marcelo has a slow start, but with time it grows into something special. Together she and Marcelo will hopefully expose Rebeca for who she really is. Watch The Color Of Passion season 1, weekdays on tlnovelas (*133) at 22:25