“Captive by Love,” revenge and female struggle on screen

The life of “Jazmín Palacios” changed forever the moment she was kidnapped by the landowner “Remigio Fuentes Mansilla,” a cruel and authoritarian man who kept “Jazmín” captive for a long time in inhumane conditions.

And although she manages to escape, the thirst for revenge that was born in “Jazmín” leads her to return 12 years later to that hacienda of her nightmares to settle the debt that “Remigio Fuentes” owes her .

What she doesn't know is that her revenge will mean opening up the past, where many more things await her than she imagined, such as the reunion with an old love and the discovery that the daughter she thought was dead was always alive.

“Cautiva por amor” is the new melodrama from TV Azteca that premieres tomorrow, May 12th at 9:30 p.m. on Azteca Uno. It is a shocking story of revenge, but also of redemption and love , which marks a shift in traditional melodrama narratives and gives more weight to female overcoming and strength in drastic environments where it is always possible to get ahead and fight for oneself despite adversity.

In an interview with EL INFORMADOR , actress Alejandra Lazcano expressed her enthusiasm for returning to Mexican soap operas and to the TV Azteca screen with a character that represented a challenge in every sense, and that also allowed her to become involved in a new narrative panorama in television melodramas in which women are no longer helpless victims, but protagonists of their own destinies.

A nuanced antagonist

“The truth is, it’s very gratifying to be approached by these kinds of stories, these characters that demand a lot of effort, that force you to give your all,” says Alejandra Lazcano , who plays the villain “Melina” in “Cautiva por amor.”

“This doesn't always happen, you don't always get the opportunity, and the truth is, I'm very grateful. 'Captive by Love' is a powerful story, a story of revenge, of heartbreak. It's a story that has everything, with complex characters that push us to the limit, and people will enjoy it. They'll cry and laugh with us, and they'll get angry too,” the actress notes.

"Melina," one of the melodrama villains brought to life by Alejandra Lazcano , is an opportunity for the actress to explore a woman full of nuances and contradictions, who allowed her to push herself to the limit.

She confesses that "I don't care if the person I play is a villain, as long as they're good. I look for an acting challenge that helps me grow as an actress," says Alejandra.

“I like having characters who challenge me, who push me to the limit. 'Melina' is a woman who really challenged me, who has many nuances. She is extremely lonely; she doesn't have a good relationship with her parents. She lives in a family of appearances, which strives to show the world that it's perfect, and is far from it. There's no love story in her relationship with her husband.”

She adds that her mother-in-law, played by Daniela Castro, treats her terribly. “She's a nobody. And the only motivation 'Melina' has to stay in that position is her daughter. She's dreamed of being a mother all her life, and she has her daughter, who is her only motivation in life, and she lives through that hell just for the girl. She's a character who is very quiet at first, but little by little she explodes and lashes out at everyone.”

The evolution of the genre

One thing that will make "Cautiva por amor" stand out as a telenovela is that it no longer relies on this submissive female character, cast in the shadow of men, but rather portrays strong women who, despite the tragic circumstances life may place them in, find a way to move forward on their own.

This is a major change in the melodrama format, says Alejandra Lazcano, because she knows that times are moving forward. "It's necessary to break with the stereotype of telenovelas, which will never cease to be that, but we can also offer something different to the audience."

She explains that "it's no longer just about the poor woman who falls in love with the rich man and that it has that aspirational plot, but now we show that women can do it alone, by ourselves, and it's important to give this focus to female empowerment. My character is a woman who has always been alone and who has made her way on her own. So it's about sending that message that it's possible, that we can fight for what we want. We are brave and warriors and we have a different position in the world."

"I think showing it in soap operas and fiction is a way to reach people, and these new narratives are a great success. We need to break away a little from what traditional melodrama has always been," the actress concluded.

Enjoy becoming a villain

In addition to the opportunities that “Melina” allowed her in the acting field , it also marks the return of Alejandra Lazcano to the small screen after the soap opera “Caminos de Guanajuato ”, which premiered a decade ago and was also produced by Tv Azteca, Alejandra's home.

“This character means a lot because it represents my return to soap operas,” the actress says gratefully. “It's different from what I've done, because people are used to seeing me in 'good' roles. I think they'll be surprised to see me in this new role, and I'm very grateful that this character has come into my life.”

CT