Not Born Beautiful

Not Born Beautiful (Russian: Не родись красивой, romanized: Ne rodis krasivoi) is a telenovela filmed in Russia, directed by Alexander Nazarov and shown from 5 September 2005[1] to 7 July 2006 by the Russian network STS. It is a Russian spin of the Colombian "Yo Soy Betty La Fea" (I'm Betty, the Ugly One) telenovela, which has fostered more than a dozen versions in other countries. The telenovela reached success in Russia and boosted the ratings of the TV network STS.

Not Born Beautiful (Ne Rodis' Krasivoy) (Не Родись Красивой)
Genre	Telenovela
Written by	Ivan Uragov Elena Bykovskaya Mikhail Sokolov Svetlana Yashin Valentine Shevyakhova Natalia Marfina Svetlana Frichinskaya Viktoria Avdeenko Elena Isayev
Directed by	Alexander Nazarov
Starring	Nelli Uvarova Grigory Antipenko Pyotr Krasilov Olga Lomonosova Mikhail Zhigalov Irina Muravyova
Opening theme	If Love Lives In The Heart (Julia Savicheva)
Country of origin	Russia
Original language(s)	Russian
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	200
Production
Cinematography	Vladimir Bykhovsky Valentin Chornovol Igor Horev Olga Livinskaya
Running time	approximately 45:00
Distributor	Sony Pictures Television International
Release
Original network	STS
Original release	5 September 2005 – 7 July 2006

Nelli Uvarova plays the role of a charming ugly girl, Yekaterina (Katya) Pushkareva. This became a breakout role in Nelli’s career and brought her national love and fame. During the broadcast of the series she became a real star of Russian television. Nelli's American counterpart America Ferrara also became widely known for her portrayal of the namesake of Ugly Betty.

The show attracted viewers who were not in the traditional viewing audience of telenovelas. In fall of 2005, fully one-third of Russian TV viewers, and 58% of Ukraine viewers, were tuning in to watch the show.[1]^:209

According to TV's Betty Goes Global: From Telenovela to International Brand, Not Born Beautiful is likely the closest and most faithful of "Yo soy Betty, la fea"'s international adaptations.[1]

And according to its authors, in 2004-6, Russia was "at an apex" of "consumerism and glamour culture", and:

Ne rodis' krasivoy addresse[d] the central cultural conflict of post-Soviet culture: the negotiation between the Russian (Soviet) values and the new corporate bourgeois ones.[1]^:209

In all 200 episodes were filmed, many on a one-per-day schedule. The "industrial pace of shooting" matched the industrial setting, Media City's studios in the former Soviet-era Moscow ball-bearing plant, which operated from the 1930s to 1990.[1]^:207 This was 31 more episodes than in the Colombian original series.[2]

American TV executive James Kramer and other Americans were involved in bringing "Ugly Betty" to Russia.[3] [4]