Citizen TV anchor, Lulu Hassan has addressed questions regarding the end of popular drama show Maria. Lulu is the head of the technical team at Jiffy Pictures, which produces the drama series.
On Tuesday, February 9, Lulu said that the show wasn't ending anytime soon as they had more twists and turns in store for their audience.
An avid fan had wondered whether the series was at its climax, especially after Maria (Yasmin Said) found out that her father was murdered by William Hausa (Daniel Musyoka).
Other angles exploited in the drama include kidnappings and paternity issues. Lulu said that the script was still detailed and breathtaking.
"Wadau hii nayo ni moto! (To our fans, the next episode of Maria is spectacular. Keep watching).
"The show is not ending anytime soon," she posted on her social media pages.
In an exclusive interview with Kenyans.co.ke in 2019, Lulu Hassan disclosed that her husband and co-anchor, Rashid Abdalla is the head of their production company, Jiffy Pictures, and is also in charge of scripting.
She added that they made in-depth research on how to produce the show before they ventured into auditioning for cast and locations. They experimented with new ideas such as a blend of new blood and veterans in the film industry.
"He (Rashid) is very creative, intelligent and wise," she said while referring to other films they have scripted and produces, including Maza, Aziza and Moyo.
Part of the techniques involved in scripting includes parenthetical, a mini-scene description which describes an action, emotion and how a character delivers the dialogue.
Lulu Hassan said that their story treatment is different from other production companies as they invest in stories, write scripts in detail and also break the parts into short episodes. They also use cliffhangers. This happens when a story or plotline ends suddenly or a large plot twist occurs and is left unresolved.
The style is used to cause suspense, but most importantly, it leaves unanswered questions that make the reader or viewer want to come back to learn what will happen.
Another style embodied by Abdalla and the team is freeing their actors from cliche. They have managed to toss around their actors, with the rich crying and experience poor lifestyle in some instances and the poor having power over the wealthy at another.
They also tap into their scriptwriters' genius to weave a narrative that absorbs a logistical challenge such as the exit and entry of actors and the change of locations. In May 2020, they scripted that Sophia needed a fresh environment when she was mentally ill. However, the real reason behind the move was that they were changing a film location as their original Runda mansion was being auctioned at Ksh 150 million.
The scriptwriters have also portrayed the death of a number of actors who exited the series to allow new entrants to spice the show. Others were allowed to exit through different scenes such as being fired by employees in the show or being posted to different locations.
Maria is one of the most-watched and most followed shows in Kenya. It won the best drama series with Yasmin Said bagging the best actress at the 2020 Kalasha Awards.
