Actress Kate Kamau to star in ‘Nafsi’ film

Mumbi Maina and Catherine Kamau are set to share the screen in a new romantic film dubbed Nafsi by Reuben Odanga. The duo will star alongside Alfred Munyua, fresh off the success of Kenyan crime drama Crime and Justice. Nafsi will be Reuben Odanga’s directorial debut, a major shift from the Swahili telenovelas that he’s popularly known for such as Nira, Nuru, Saida, and Selina, the last two which have won four and three Kalasha Awards. Odanga also wrote the film, which is a production of his company, Multan Production Limited. Sharing his excitement about the film, Odanga described it as a “real and simple story” while also praising both Mumbi and Kate (whom he directs for the first time) for their performance. “Working with Mumbi was phenomenal; she bought into the vision and carried the story in a very personal way. Kate was just magical; after she auditioned, I knew she could do more than comedy, and she delivered.” Speaking about her role, Mumbi, who makes a major comeback to the Kenyan film scene with this role, says working with Odanga has been an adventure. “He has a great vision and I appreciate that he is doing something different with this film. I’m honoured to be part of a project that will hopefully de-stigmatize and spark important conversations,” she said. Mumbi will appear in Warner Brother’s fourth Matrix film starring Keanu Reeves, Matrix Resurrections. Her co-star Kate, who takes a major leap from comedy to drama with this role, described the project by saying, “I was in pursuit of growth as an actor, and this was different for me. It’s what I needed.” Nafsi, which has already wrapped production, also stars Raymond Ofula (Monica, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind); BET’s Top African Actor runner-up Alex Khayo (Watu Wote, Selina); and first-timers: radio presenter Alex Mwakideu, radio presenter and singer Monique Bett, and singer and former Kora Awards winner Silaiyo.