By Mark Allan Karanja
Ladies like her rule the city. And in the city, as far as they go, there are four types of people. Those who hate them, those who love them, those who want to be them and those who want to be with them. They don’t understand the concept of a free world. Everything and everyone has a price. The question is never whether it is possible, but whether you are willing to pay for it. Mariam, the heart of the show SUMU LA PENZI, is the queen of such women. Call them what you will, but you will not soon forget one like her. Beauty and brains – a truly lethal combination, especially when it comes to men.
Mariam is the kind of lady that knows what she wants. Titles and names don’t mean much to her without a price tag that is worth her attention. She makes no apologies about using and disposing men, be it for pleasure or for money. All is fair in love and war, they say, and in her case, all is fair in the love of money. Serah Ndanu, the vivacious young actress who plays Mariam is all too eager to give insight into what this misunderstood lady is all about. “She is a go-getter. She knows how to play the game and she plays it well”, Serah says of Mariam.
And play she does, with all sorts of men in her speed dial, she has mastered the art of playing the vulnerable woman in a man’s world. Far from being a damsel in distress, she leads her victim down the garden path, hooks them with her lies and only releases them when she has no more use for them. The term sucking them dry comes to mind. Her fiercely independent nature ensures that she never settles for any one man. But just when she seems she has gained all the control she could ever desire, she is thrown for a loop by the entry of Okwonkwo into her life.
“Okwonkwo effectively controls Mariam, watching her every move – something that Mariam does not like”, Serah says. Some might say it is karma coming back to bite Mariam, for all she has done to her victims like Mr. Rent, who she toys with mercilessly then lets down hard and with no apologies. “Being controlled is very disconcerting for her. She is fiercely independent, but ends up going through what her best friend Eva (Avril Nyambura) goes through with Martin”, Serah adds.
Her friends Ama and Eva are the only stability that she has in her life. Mariam is fiercely loyal to them, and is also protective – in her own way – of her cousin Tindi (Joyce Maina) who invades her life from the country. And all three play a major role in trying to pry her from the clutches of Okwonkwo. Asked whether she and Mariam share anything in common, Serah says they are both independent women with great fashion sense.
Serah has had tremendous experience, having featured in renowned shows such as NOOSE OF GOLD alongside some of her co-stars on SUMU LA PENZI like Neomi Ng’ang’a. And also appeared in the movie RUGGED PRIEST alongside Ainea Ojiambo who also plays Victor on SUMU LA PENZI.
One thing is for sure. Whether you hate her or love her, this siren keeps us glued to our screens to see what she does next. Catch Serah Ndanu on SUMU LA PENZI on Africa Magic Swahili.