''Cosita rica'' is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ( ...

written by Leonardo Padrón and produced by

Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and one of Venezuela's largest television networks, owned by the Cisneros Media division of Grupo Cisneros. History The company's roots date back to June 1, 1953, with the establi ...

between 2003 and 2004. Fabiola Colmenares and

Rafael Novoa Rafael Angel Novoa (born October 26, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the San Francisco Giants in 1990 and for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1993. Biography A native of New York, New York, Novoa attended Fordha ...

starred as the main protagonists, while Chiquinquirá Delgado, Carlos Cruz and

Nohely Arteaga Nohely Coromoto González Arteaga (born December 5, 1963) is a Venezuelan actress recognized internationally for her starring roles in telenovelas during the 1980s and 1990s. Filmography Telenovelas * María Laura (1983) - RCTV * Chao, Cristina ...

starred as the antagonists.

History

On September 30, 2003,

started airing ''Cosita rica'' at 9:00 pm. The last episode was aired on August 30, 2004, with ''Sabor a ti'' replacing it. During its broadcast, the telenovela became a hit among viewers due to its combination of humor, romance and drama with political and socio-cultural commentary. At the time the telenovela was on air, Venezuela was going through a presidential recall referendum, and the media was heavily polarized. The character of ''Olegario Pérez'' was seen as an alter-ego of then president Hugo Chávez, and events in the telenovela mirrored what was happening in the country. After the end of the broadcast of ''Cosita rica'', the Venezuelan government created the

Law on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television The Law on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television (''Ley de Responsabilidad Social en Radio y Televisión'' known as the ''Ley Resorte'') is a Venezuelan law, adopted by the National Assembly and in force since 7 December 2004. Its purpose ...

which aimed as censuring writers and television content produced in the country. This affected subsequent telenovelas produced by

RCTV Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radio Caracas Televisi ...

(which was shutdown in 2007 by the government of Chávez for its anti-government stand) and Venevisión, as writers became restrictive in terms of what content they could write and produce.

Plot

Paula, the most popular girl of the neighborhood, dreams of becoming a dancer. The day she meets Diego Luján, the young heir of a cosmetic holding, she can't stop thinking of him. Diego is about to get married with the famous model Vicky Cárdenas. But destiny is going to play its cards and the sudden encounter between Paula and Diego turns into a love story. Paula and Diego meet again and during the week they spend together, their lives change forever. Diego promises Paula to cancel his engagement to Vicky and they both agree to meet at the airport to start a new life. When Paula arrives at the airport, she sees how an old and weak man can't manage the luggage he carries, so Paula decides to help him. When they are about to cross the immigration line, the authorities discover drugs inside the old man's luggage that Paula is holding, but the man has disappeared and Paula is sent to jail for five years. Paula cannot get in touch with Diego to explain him the situation. Diego looks for her with any success. Today, five years later, Paula leaves jail. She wants to recover her life and to revenge the man who destroyed her future. She starts working as makeup girl. One day, she is hired to make up a bride. This is the day when she reencounters Diego, who is going to get married. The impact is mutual. But there's nothing to do. It's too late. The day of the wedding, Diego's father dies unexpectedly and the worst comes when he finds out that he is not the heir. Olegario Pérez, the bastard son of Diego's father, will manage the holding. From one day to another, Olegario Pérez will become one of the most powerful executives of the country. The worst comes when Olegario meets Paula by chance and he falls in love with her. Olegario asks Diego to help him conquer a woman. Without knowing that the woman is Paula, Diego helps his stepbrother writing love letters, choosing the flowers, the restaurants and the presents for him. Paula starts falling in love with him and she accepts to get marry to Olegario. A duel begins for the love of Paula between the two brothers.

Cast

Main

* Fabiola Colmenares as Paula Chacón / Paula C *

as Diego Luján * Chiquinquirá Delgado as Victoria "Vicky" Cárdenas * Gledys Ibarra as Patria Mía * Carlos Cruz as Olegario Pérez *

Marialejandra Martín Marialejandra Martín Castillo (born November 23, 1964 in Caracas), AKA Mariale Martin, Alejandra Martin & Maria Alejandra Martin, is one of the most recognized Venezuelan actors. Marialejandra made her professional debut in the feature film ''Ifi ...

as Lara de Santana * Aroldo Betancourt as Vicente Santana * Elba Escobar as Concordia Pérez *

as Tiffany Crúz *

Daniel Alvarado Daniel Alvarado (12 August 1949 – 8 July 2020) was a Venezuelan actor. Personal life He was married three times. He had two sons, Daniel and Luis, from his first marriage. From second marriage with Carmen Julia Álvarez (1978–1994), he ha ...

as Lisandro Fonseca * Marisa Román as Verónica Lujan / María Suspiro *

Édgar Ramírez Édgar Filiberto Ramírez Arellano (, born 25 March 1977) is a Venezuelan actor. Ramírez studied communications at the Andrés Bello Catholic University. He then worked in media and considered becoming a diplomat. When Guillermo Arriaga pra ...

as Cacique Chacón * Tania Sarabia as Mamasanta * Carlos Villamizar as Placido Chacón *

Lourdes Valera Lourdes del Valle Valera Galvis (15 June 1963 - 2 May 2012) was a Venezuelan actress who took part in over twenty film and television productions during her career, particularly known for her acting in many telenovelas. Career Valera first took ...

as La Chata * Roberto Lamarca as Diómedes Crespo * Beatriz Valdés as Prodigio Vargas * Ricardo Bianchi as Rodolfo Lima * Juan Carlos Vivas as Rosendo * Franklin Virgüez as Nicomedes Luján

Recurring

* Marina Baura as Tentación Luján * Yanis Chimaras as Juancho *

Beba Rojas Reymarvi Rojas Velazco, better known as Beba Rojas (born September 25, 1975) is a Venezuelan actress, model and comedian. She began her artistic career in the Venezuelan television channel Venevisión after completing her studies at the Univers ...

as Panchita *

Ana Karina Manco Ana Karina Manco Guzmán (born 17 December 1967) is a Venezuelan actress known for her various roles in telenovelas and theatre. Biography Ana is the youngest of three older siblings, her sister Giannina and brothers Frollo and Freddy. She gra ...

as Camila *

Guillermo Dávila Guillermo Dávila (born 18 March 1955, in Bailadores) is a Venezuelan actor and singer who has acted in many telenovelas. Biography After starting his career in theatre in the 1970s, Dávila first gained national fame in after starring in the ...

as Gastón * Josué Villae as Guillermo

References

External links

* {{Venevisión telenovelas in 2000-2019 2003 telenovelas 2003 Venezuelan television series debuts 2004 Venezuelan television series endings Venevisión telenovelas Venezuelan telenovelas Spanish-language telenovelas Television shows set in Venezuela