Rami Chuene plays Jumima in BET Africa' s 'Isono'. Photo: Twitter @BET_Africa
The much-anticipated first episode of BET Africa’s first-ever telenovela Isono aired on Monday night.
The daily drama co-produced by BET Africa and Clive Morris Productions (CMP) follows a gripping tale of evil matriarch Mary Ndlovu, played by legendary and award-winning actress Nthai Moshesh, whose character isn’t what she seems.
Many characters in the telenovela have double identities battling with the good and bad sides of themselves.
1. Mary Ndlovu is truly an evil matriarch
Mary, an orphanage owner of House of Grace, will stop at nothing to maintain her picture-perfect image – even going as far as murdering what she perceives are enemies. The audience will be shocked at times at how cruel Mary is, not only to people she dislikes, but those close to her too.
2. Fresh faces
We were very pleased to see new upcoming actors such as Didi Khunou, who plays Mary’s daughter Esther. The character is a rising songstress attempting by any means to get out of her mother’s shadow and escape the pressure to be the perfect daughter. Fragile as she may be, she does at least have a supportive boyfriend in Makwande (Anga Makubalo), himself a rising soccer star.
Simon Ndlovu is played by talented TK Sebothoma, who has made appearances in telenovelas such as The Queen. Simon is the youngest of mother Mary’s three children, and unlike his siblings he has devoted his life to please his mother in any way possible.
3. TV presenters make their mark
Media personalities such as Moshe Ndiki and Lalla Hirayama made their on-screen appearances in the first episode. Moshe plays loveable and spicy character Khaya, an assistant a PR manager helping Esther make a name for herself.
4. The opening scene sets the tone
In true dramatic fashion, this show is not like the other telenovelas on our screens, it gets straight into it. In the opening scene we see Gabriel Ndlovu (Bohang Moeko) chopping up a body, we don’t know who it is, but we quickly notice he is the “fixer”. Despite our first impressions, the character is much more complex then you may think.
5. Jumima the meme queen
Rami Chuene plays an odd character as Jumima, who lives on the House of Grace property. Even though an entertaining figure, she knows and hold deep secrets from Mary’s past. It also helps that her facial expressions are meme-worthy.
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