Zabranjena Ljubav

infobox television
show_name = Zabranjena ljubav


caption =
format = soap opera
rating =
runtime = 30 Minutes
creator = Fremantle Media
country = Croatia
network = RTL Televizija
first_aired = October 25, 2005
last_aired = November 3, 2008
num_episodes = 805
imdb_id = 0434737
tv_com_id =

"Zabranjena ljubav" ("Forbidden Love", commonly abbreviated to ZLJ) is a Croatian daytime soap opera about the lives and loves of both young and older characters, focused on the major Croatian city of Zagreb. Actors Mario Valentic, Antonija Sola, Nada Rocco, Dejan Marcikic and Anita Berisha (last one with some months of break) are the only remaining original cast members.

The soap tackles controversial issues, such as rape, homosexuality, adultery, and deadly diseases. The viewers of this soap are varied, ranging from small children to senior citizens.

"Zabranjena ljubav" is a remake of Australian soap opera "Sons and Daughters", initially based on that serial's original story and character outlines, before diverging as the new series progressed.

In April 2008, RTL Televizija announced that the highly popular soap opera will end it's run after 4 years this fall in its time slot 7:30 PM.

History

The original story begins by introducing a handsome 22 year old Danijel Loncar (Zoran Pribicevic) coming home to Zagreb, on his 22nd birthday, after losing his job in Italy. At the railway station, he bumps into a beautiful girl. They both feel immediate attraction. Danijel doesn’t even get the chance to ask for her name as they are greeted by their friends and family.

The girl is Petra Novak (Anita Berisha) who also returned home, after studying photography in London, funny enough, on a present day she also celebrates her 22nd birthday.

It soon transpires that Danijel and Petra were twins separated at birth. Danijel had initially been raised by the wise Nada Horvat (Nada Rocco) before returning to his father Josip Loncar (Drazen Mikulic), and Petra raised by her mother Viktorija Novak (Sanja Vejnovic) who had married into money to a rich aristocrate widower Stjepan Novak (Velimir Cokljat).

The parents of the twins had each married other people and raised families which had other adult children. The Loncar family comprised Danijel's father Josip Loncar, a construction worker; and Josip's wife Biserka Loncar (Vanja Matujec), a warm-hearted, down-to-earth housewife. Their children were Iva Loncar (Marija Kobic) and Matija (Filip Riđicki), Iva had just started a romantic involvement with Igor Carevic (Dejan Marcikic) and Matija started seeing his class member Lana Kos (Petra Kurtela). Petra had grown up with her mother Viktorija (Sanja Vejnovic), Viktorija's husband Stjepan who was a successful wineyard owner and businessman, and Stjepan's son from an earlier marriage, the spiteful Borna Novak (Mario Valentic).

After Danijel's investigation into Petra's whereabouts, he slowly enters the world of the powerful Novak family by landing a job as a gardner, not knowing he is working for his biological mother, nor that he has fallen in love with his own sister.

Other major characters include Lidija Bauer (Katja Zupcic) who has always had strong feelings for Stjepan, but who stepped away out of respect towards the family and her children. Lidija has two children of her own: the spoiled and stubborn teenager Tina Bauer (Antonija Sola)and the good-natured medical student Leon Bauer (Mario Mohenski) later (Marin Knezevic), who was betrothed to Petra at Viktorija's instigation only for the wedding to be cancelled after a revelation about his homosexuality. Viktorija's best friend, the dizzy socialite Stela Vidak (Matija Prskalo), was introduced as a minor figure during the show's early days as someone to whom Viktorija could recite expository dialogue about her latest scheme to, but soon emerged as a key character.

Cast

2008 Cast

References

* [http://Zabranjenaljubav.rtl.hr/ Zabranjena ljubav, official website]
* [http://zljubav.blog.hr/ Zabranjena ljubav, unofficial website blog]
* [http://www.fanzabranjene.tk Zabranjena ljubav, unofficial website (fanzabranjene)]
* [http://www.daserste.de/verboteneliebe/ official website of German soap opera "Zabranjene ljubavi", Verbotene Liebe]