“AraBella”
GMA will premiere its newest series “AraBella” on March 6 in the Filipinas. The program is headlined by this generation’s soap opera superstars Shayne Sava as Ara and Althea Ablan as Bella, together with seasoned artists Camille Prats as Roselle, Wendell Ramos as Gary, and Alfred Vargas as Ariel.
Shayne Sava said, “It is overwhelming and at the same time, heartwarming. It feels good knowing that a lot of people appreciate our hard work and talents. Pressure comes along with it, but I will always do everything to improve every day.”
Althea Ablan commented: “I’m always thankful to GMA for giving me the opportunity to give life to these characters. It's a bit close to my last role in 'Prima Donnas' but at the same time it's really a brand new experience and my character here has a lot more depth and nuance.”
Camille Prats added, “I’m excited to do what I've always loved to do. At the same time, I feel nervous because I haven't acted in 5 years. I familiarized myself with Roselle's role in order to prepare for the right nuances of the character.”
Completing the star-studded cast are Klea Pineda as Gwen, the young and cunning stepmother of Roselle; Abdul Raman as Justin, a nerdy guy who will become Ara’s best friend; Saviour Ramos as Ed, a blind follower who will do everything for his love, Bella; Ronnie Lazaro as Lolo Hadji, and Ms. Nova Villa as Lola Madonna. They are the deceitful adoptive grandparents of Bella.
"AraBella" follows the story of a loving mother, Roselle, who searches for her lost daughter. Even though it has already been 10 years since her child was kidnapped, Roselle still believes that they will be reunited. With the help of a TV show, Roselle meets Ara, a teenager who got kidnapped during childhood and is now searching for her real mother. Both of their narratives match and it gives them hope to finally bring their family back together.
“AraBella” is made possible under the supervision of GMA SVP for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable; VP for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy; AVP for Drama Ali Marie Nokom-Dedicatoria; Program Manager Dennis Joi K. Bentulan; and Executive Producer Arlene D. Pilapil.
The show’s director Adolf Alix Jr. guarantees that "AraBella" will deliver something new and special to the audience, “I think the journey is quite familiar and relatable but as what they all say, we all have our unique way of telling our story. The twist and turns of how Roselle takes the chance for Ara and Bella challenges our notion of being a woman, a mother and our traditional family system.”