Pahiram ng Sandali is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes, it stars Dingdong Dantes and Lorna Tolentino. It premiered on November 26, 2012 on the network's Telebabad line up replacing Coffee Prince and worldwide on November 27, 2012 on GMA Pinoy TV. The series concluded on March 15, 2013 with a total of 80 episodes. It was replaced by Mundo Mo'y Akin in its timeslot.
Premise
Alex and Cindy find love and inspiration in each other’s arms. However, the young couple parted ways when Cindy left to study abroad. She promised to come back for Alex. Though devastated, the latter continues his life and begins to pursue his dreams. Through hard work and diligence, Alex fulfilled his longtime dream of becoming a photo journalist. Here he crosses paths with Janice, an older woman, works as an editor-in-chief in one of the famous tabloids in the country. Janice manages her career with flying colours but such a failure when it comes to family matters . On the other hand, Alex, being an unwanted child decided to carry out his vengeance plans against his biological father by becoming extremely successful. These two lonely souls finds solace in each other, and despite their age gap and social differences, prove that anyone can be bound in friendship. But their special friendship grows into an unlikely romance. Things get more complicated when Alex learns that Janice is Cindy’s mother!
After the sudden cancellation of Haram which was shelved due to controversies and sensitivity issues involving Islamic faith, GMA Network management decide to come up for a new project making use of the same cast. Series' creator Suzette Doctolero with creative head, Jake Tordesillas and Entertainment TV head, Lilybeth Rasonable began conceptualizing the series under the title "Hiram na Sandali" in early October 2012. Doctolero decided to pitch the series about "May–December affair" to GMA Entertainment TV Group, since she thought it would be the best replacement for Haram. The network's Drama Department found the concept interesting, since it is "unusual" for a local drama serial to discuss that kind of concept. The title was later changed to Pahiram ng Sandali. The series has five main casts being Lorna Tolentino, Dingdong Dantes, Christopher de Leon, Max Collins and Alessandra de Rossi; with eight prominent supporting characters. Tolentino was cast as Janice, a married woman who fell in love in a much younger guy – Alex which played by Dantes. Tolentino finds the series as a "masterpiece" and stated that she can’t let go of the script until she finish reading it till the last page. On the other hand, Dantes expounds, "Words will never be enough to articulate the beauty of Pahiram ng Sandali as an artwork". Teen actress, Kylie Padilla was originally cast as Cindy, but later backed out due to its "far too adult" contents for her age and would require her to do very sensitive scenes that will put her in conflict with her Muslim faith. Collins took over the place left by Padilla as Dantes' second leading lady. The producer hires Maryo J. delos Reyes to helm the series. Delos Reyes stated that the material has become more intriguing compared to the shelved Haram, since it’s now a love triangle story between a mother, a daughter, and the man who comes between them. "Directing stories about relationships is my comfort zone," Delos Reyes added. He has done many films with some of the senior stars of the cast except for Dantes who he works for the first time for this series. Series’ production began in November 12, 2012 in Quezon City.
Reception
Ratings
According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the pilot episode of Pahiram ng Sandali earned a 23.7% rating. While the final episode scored a 25.1% rating.
Critical response
Mario Bautista of Journal reviews: "Max got praised particularly for that scene last Wednesday when she went to bed with Dingdong and he realizes that she's still a virgin. Director Maryo de los Reyes really handled that delicate scene quite well."
