''Poder Paralelo'' ( en, Another Power) is a Brazilian

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'' ( ...

produced by

Rede Record RecordTV (), formerly known as Rede Record, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network. It is currently the second largest commercial TV station in Brazil, and the 28th largest in the 2012 world ranking. In 2010, it w ...

that premiered on April 14, 2009 and ended on March 10, 2010. Written by Lauro César Muniz and directed by Ignácio Coqueiro, it will portray a corruption scheme involving an

Italian-Brazilian Italian Brazilians ( it, italo-brasiliani, pt, ítalo-brasileiros) are Brazilians of full or partial Italian descent. Italian Brazilians are the largest number of people with full or partial Italian ancestry outside Italy, with São Paulo bein ...

family. Prior to Record's official announcement, the media was referring to the telenovela by its working title ''Vendetta''. It ran for one season.

Plot

The telenovela focuses on Tony Castellamare, a Brazilian citizen of Italian origin living in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for it ...

. He maintains the image of a merchant exporter, but is actually the leader of the

Sicilian Sicilian refers to the autonomous Italian island of Sicily. Sicilian can also refer to: * Sicilian language, a Romance language spoken on the island of Sicily, its satellite islands, and southern Calabria * Sicilians, people from or with origins ...

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhal ...

mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of ...

. After an attack aimed at him kills his wife Marina and their twin daughters, Tony returns to

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

seeking revenge, at the same time he is investigated by the uncorruptible

federal police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

officer Teolônio "Téo" Meira.

Inspiration

''Poder Paralelo'' is based on ''Honra ou Vendetta'', the only novel by sports journalist and cuisine author Sílvio Lancelotti, originally published in 2001. The plot, however, had to be readapted, since the book contained only five major female characters. According to Muniz, Téo is based on the federal police officer

Protógenes Queiroz Protógenes Pinheiro Queiroz (born May 20, 1959) is a Brazilian former Federal Police officer, who has led investigations in some of the country's most high-profile corruption cases. Queiroz was responsible for investigations leading to impris ...

, responsible for the investigation and arrest of banker Daniel Dantas, accused of

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdiction ...

and convicted for attempting to

bribe Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...

a federal police officer. Mattos, Laura
"Polícia Federal 'estrela' nova novela da Record"
'' Folha de S. Paulo'' (link via

Observatório da Imprensa ''Observatório da Imprensa'' ( Portuguese for ''Press Observer'') is a Brazilian website, and also television and radio programs, which focuses on the analysis of the current state of the mass media in the country. History ''Observatório da I ...

). August 10, 2008. Accessed April 13, 2009.

Editing controversy

The head of Rede Record vetoed Muniz from writing scenes featuring thighs, breasts, buttocks and coarse language. This caused a controversy in Brazil, as well as accusations of

hypocrisy Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. In moral psychology, it is the ...

from the head of the network, once violent scenes, featuring as even as

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

, remained untouched.

Main cast

Gabriel Braga Nunes Gabriel Braga Nunes (born February 7, 1972) is a Brazilian actor, best known for his work in telenovelas, specially ''Essas Mulheres'', ''Cidadão Brasileiro'', ''Caminhos do Coração'' and ''Poder Paralelo''. He also stars in ''Insensato Coraç ...

- Tony Castellamare *Tuca Andrada - Telônio "Téo" Meira *Paloma Duarte - Fernanda Lira *

Marcelo Serrado Marcelo Magalhães Serrado (born 10 February 1967 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian actor. Biography Marcelo began his career at CAL (Casa de Arte das Laranjeiras) in 1985. He made his television debut in 1987 in the telenovela ''Corpo Sant ...

- Bruno Vilar *

Petrônio Gontijo Petrônio Gontijo de Alvarenga (born July 5, 1968) is a Brazilian actor.Maria Ribeiro Maria do Amaral Ribeiro (born 9 November 1975) is a Brazilian actress, screenwriter and film director. Biography She worked in soap operas such as '' A Escrava Isaura'', playing the beautiful Malvina, and also ''Luz do Sol'', playing Zoé. ...

- Marília *Cecil Thiré - Armando *Márcio Kieling - Alberto *Fernanda Nobre - Luísa *Guilherme Boury - Pedro *

Patrícia França Patrícia França Monteiro de Oliveira (September 28, 1971, Recife, Brazil) is a Brazilian actress. Biography She began her career in theater as a child and won awards, including the play ''A Ver Estrelas''. Her first job was in the national h ...

- Nina Santana *Bete Coelho - Vânia *

André Bankoff André Ricardo Bankoff (born July 20, 1978) is a Brazilian actor. Biography André was born in Americana, São Paulo. He is of Bulgarian, Italian and Polish descent. Career Participated in the miniseries ''Mad Maria'' and soap opera '' Ban ...

- André Campos *Miguel Thiré - Douglas (Dog) *

Luma Costa Luma Costa (July 5, 1988 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian actress. Biography In addition to participation in programs of Rede Globo and ''Carga Pesada'' and ''Sítio do Picapau Amarelo'', Luma became known as Márcia Anita of '' Começar de N ...

- Bebel *Castrinho - Leonel Pavão *Nicola Siri - Paulo Garzia *

Antônio Abujamra Antônio Abujamra (15 September 1932 – 28 April 2015) was a Brazilian theatre and television director and actor. Having majored in journalism and philosophy at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul in 1957, he started a car ...

- Marco Iago

Soundtrack

Soundtrack is the song "Bellissimo Cosí" by

Laura Pausini Laura Pausini (; born 16 May 1974) is an Italian singer. She rose to fame in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with her debut single " La solitudine", which became an Italian standard and an interna ...

References

External links

''Poder Paralelo'' official website''Poder Paralelo'' at Rede Record Press Room website
{{Rede Record telenovelas 2009 telenovelas 2009 Brazilian television series debuts 2010 Brazilian television series endings RecordTV telenovelas Television series about organized crime Portuguese-language telenovelas Works about organized crime in Brazil