PHOTOS: How the private screening of Zari & Ka-Siri went down at Windsor

19 September 2023

• Celebrities who graced the launch of Rashid Abdalla’s two new Telenovelas Zari & Ka-Siri [Photos]

• Rashid Abdalla strikes new deal with Multichoice as he unveils new Telenovelas Zari & Ka-Siri

On September 18, 2023, all roads led to Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club for the private screening of two Telenovelas Zari and Ka-siri that are set to premiere on Maisha Magic Plus in October 2023.

The two Telenovelas have been produced by Rashid Abdalla and Lulu Hassan of Jiffy Pictures. The star-studded occasion was graced by the Zari and Ka-Siri cast plus crew.

Some of the celebrities who graced the occasion were; Sarah Hassan, Brenda Wairimu, Yasmin Said, Jackie Matubia, Rashid Abdalla, Nyakundi Isaboke, Ronald Ndubi, Mike Makori, Angie Magio, Dennis Musyoka, Abel Mutua, Carol Radull, Judy Nyawira, Julioh Wachira, Dennis Milimo, Tuku Kantu, Austine Muigai, and Stanley Omondi among others.

The two projects (Zari and Ka-siri) are part of Maisha Magic Plus’s content rebranding strategy that will also see the channel adopt a new logo in October.

Zari

Zari tells the story of a young woman whose rightful family and fortune are stolen from her by her duplicitous adopted family.

Born to a wealthy family, Nina is given away by her grandfather to be raised by his servant Bosco and his wife Fridah who swear to keep this secret.

Years later, when the opportunity presents itself for Nina to claim her rightful place, Bosco and Fridah pass off their biological daughter Lola as Nina, denying Nina a chance to meet her real family and live the life she was meant to live.

Zari which will premiere on October 23rd stars Sarah Hassan, and Brenda Wairimu in the lead roles as Nina and Lola respectively, with Mike Makori, Angie Magio, Yasmin Said, Dennis Musyoka, Eravuna Wycliffe, Raymond Ofula and Ronald Ndubi.

Ka-Siri

In Ka-Siri, a wealthy patriarch is killed in a home invasion gone wrong leaving behind a home divided by lies and dark secrets, and an unlikely heir that no one saw coming.

Featuring over 100 episodes, Ka-Siri will air every Monday to Wednesday at 7:30 pm from 9 October. This telenovela stars Torome Sisio, Saada Fateh, newcomer Philip Munyua, Muhugu, and Lucarelli Onyango Nyakundi Isaboke. Sheila Ndanu, Shix Kapienga and Christine Njambi.

Speaking about the new Telenovelas, Rashid Abdalla said; “Film production is very expensive and as filmmakers, investing and putting money behind productions is not easy, access to finance and capital too has many barriers,”

“As industry players, we are delighted to have partners like MultiChoice who allow Kenyans to tell their own stories that are authentic and speak to our cultural and societal nuances while creating jobs for actors, actresses, chefs, transporters, real estate owners, make-up artists, video editors, sound producers, camera crew, set designers among others in the film ecosystem.”

Since 2015, MultiChoice has invested in over 89 local shows in Kenya, both commissioned and licensed, with 15 new shows released this financial year.

“With an annual investment of over $5m in content production and licensing, translating into well over 5,600 hours of content annually, we have lined up some of the biggest, most exciting shows that will give our viewers more choice and more entertainment,” said Timothy Okwaro, M-Net’s Channel Director East and Southern Africa.

Nzola Miranda, Managing Director at MultiChoice Kenya said, “The launch of these new shows Zari and Ka-Siri underscores MultiChoice's unwavering commitment to delivering family-friendly and exceptional entertainment to its viewers with content that resonates with them.

The shows will be available to customers subscribed to the bouquets from DStv Access and GOtv Plus and above. By this, we are fulfilling our promise to be Kenya’s most-loved storyteller, giving access to this premium local content to our broader audience of viewers.”

Photos from the launch of Zari and Ka-Siri