Film adaptation of Fakir Muhammad Katpadi’s Nombu – Ramzan – set to drop on NammaFlix

Ramzan, the film based on the Kannada novel Nombu, had released in theatres in April and is now ready for its OTT outing. Written by Fakir Muhammad Katpadi, the 74-year old Kannada litterateur known for his realistic portraits of the Muslim community in southern Karnataka, by capturing the idiosyncrasies, customs and everyday lives of the people of the community, Nombu is a poignant story revolving around the holy month of Ramadan, the significance of the fast, among others.

Speaking at a promotional event for the film, the writer had said, that although he had been approached by other filmmakers in the past to adapt Nombu into cinema, including a team that promised to cast a leading Malayalam actor, Fakir was not entirely convinced they would do justice to his novel. But when Panachakshari CE came to him, he was satisfied with the honesty and integrity the filmmaker carried. “The story of Nombu, in essence, explores the concept of 'hunger' and how the rich and the poor tackle it in contrasting manners. As someone who grew up in a religious household, I have seen the impact of hunger on life and how it alters the way one functions. I was able to channel my own personal experiences as a child while writing this story,” he had said.

The cast of the film Ramzan includes Sangamesh Upase of Silli Lalli fame, Premavati, Bebi Ishani, Bhasker Manipal, Aryan, Adhyatha Bhat, Manjunath and others. Now that the film is done with its theatrical run, the team is bringing it to OTT and has chosen NammaFlix as the preferred partner. However, Ramzan is being made available under a pay-per-view format, so it will only be available on the NammaFlix app and site and not on partner channels. “The film will be available on May 12 at 12 am. Viewers will have to register on the site and then, upon payment of Rs 50, the film will be available to watch,” explained Vijayprakash, CEO of NammaFlix.