I love Paraisópolis

**"I love Paraisópolis"** is a Brazilian telenovela written by Alcides Nogueira and Mário Teixeira for Rede Globo. It's an original story. The show aired from May 11 to November 6, 2015 and it consists of 154 episodes. The main stars are Bruna Marquezine and Mauricio Destri.

## Synopsis

Residents of Paraisópolis, community of São Paulo, Marizete and Pandora are "friends-sisters" and together they live a thousand adventures and there are so many problems that seem to follow them wherever they go. They are young women who want a better life and struggle to achieve their dreams. They were brought up by Eva and Jurandir, Danda's biological parents and Mari's adopted ones. Eva was Mari's biological mother's best friend, who died at childbirth. Because of the love he had for her friend, she took her daughter to raise as if she were her own.

Along with her studies, Mari works to help Eva achieve her life dream: to buy a house of her own. She has dedicated herself to school and works from an early age to put together the money she needs to fulfill her dream. Danda is smart, intelligent and has a fair sense of justice, especially when someone tries to harm her best friend. She was not a great student in school, but always worked hard.

On the other side of the story, or rather, across the street, next to Paraisópolis, is the luxurious neighborhood of Morumbi. Benjamin lives there, an award winning architect who returns from New York with his fiancee Margot, to realize his great project: the redevelopment of Paraisópolis. The biggest drawback to this project lies in his mother Soraya and his uncle and stepfather Gabo, the majority shareholders of the family company Pilartex. The case of the pair is somewhat controversial, since Gabo was Soraya's brother-in-law. When his brother Tiago died, he and the widow were married and had two sons.

Ben, Soraya's son from first marriage, no longer has a good relationship with his mother, and the new marriage was the trigger for further misunderstandings. Soraya, a chic and elegant woman, has never appreciated her son's relationship with the community. Nor does it appear that she is Izabelita's daughter; an educated and sweet old woman, who likes to say some good truths for the daughter. Gabo, ambitious and fearless, sees Paraisopolis as an opportunity to earn money through real estate speculation.

But everything changes when Mari and Ben cross paths. Despite being committed to Margot, he falls in love with Marizete. Only Mari lives under Grego's watch, who finds himself the "owner of Paraisópolis" and he has the respect of the community. The two were childhood sweethearts, and Grego will not permit that his childhood flame falls in love with a wealthy man.

## Trivia

* Working titles for the telenovela were 'Lady Marizete' and 'Paraisópolis Forever'.
* When the show was called 'Lady Marizete', the initial protagonist was supposed to be Tatá Werneck.
* Luana Piovani and Ana Paula Arósio were offered the role of the telenovela's main villain Soraya, however both refused it. Leticia Spiller was then cast.
* Max Fercondini was offered the role of the telenovela's protagonist Benjamin before Destri was cast in it.