Meet Sarvam Maya’s Rhea Shibu: At 21, she has produced more films than acted
Rhea Shibu is currently impressing for her role as the young ghost Delulu in the Malayalam supernatural fantasy comedy, Sarvam Maya, a film which has achieved critical and commercial success.
Famous Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly made a solid comeback on Christmas 2025 with the supernatural fantasy comedy, Sarvam Maya. While Nivin is garnering attention, another name from the film’s cast has also made headlines: Rhea Shibu, who plays a young ghost named Delulu.
Sarvam Maya crosses Rs 50 crore mark worldwide In just five days, it became one of the biggest Malayalam hits of 2025. In the film, Rhea plays the role of a bubbly ghost named Delulu.
Rhea Shibu worked as an actor and producer
At the age of 21, Riya has achieved an interesting achievement. She is an actress as well as a successful producer and, notably, her filmography shows that she has actually produced far more films than she has acted in at her age!
Sarvam Maya is his second release as an actor after his debut role in the 2024 Malayalam sports drama, Cup. Her upcoming acting work is in Arun Anirudhan’s film, Athiradi, co-starring Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph and Darshan Rajendran.
Meanwhile, Rhea’s slate as a producer includes four films: Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2 (2025), Mura (2024), Mumbaikar (2023) and Thugs (2023). He has also co-produced projects.
Does Riya Shibu have any film background?
Rhea is the daughter of renowned producer and distributor Shibu Thamiens, whose company, Thamiens Films, has produced films like Dulquer Salmaan’s ABCD, Vijay and Sridevi’s Puli, apart from Vikram and Nayanthara’s Iru Mugan.
Rhea Shibu’s stint as a social media star helped her
Before joining the film industry, Riya was active on social media. He has over 700,000 followers on Instagram and his short videos have been popular on social media platforms including Dubsmash and Musical.ly.
After gaining recognition on social media, Rhea Shibu entered the film world and produced the Tamil action film Thugs in 2023. It was a remake of the Malayalam film Swatantryam Ardharatriyil. The film starred his brother Hrudu Harun and actress Anaswara Rajan in lead roles. The same year, he co-produced Vikrant Massey and Vijay Sethupathi’s film Mumbaikar, a remake of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Managaram.
In 2024, he produced the gangster thriller Mura, and in 2025, his biggest project to date, Veera Dheera Suran: Part 2Was released. The film starred Vikram, SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Dushara Vijayan. The film received positive reviews and grossed Rs 63.45 crore worldwide.
According to reports, Rhea studied at Trivandrum International School and Loyola College in Chennai, where she earned a degree in Visual Communications. His father also runs Shibu Thameens Releasing, a distribution outlet for Tamil and Malayalam films.
What did Vikram say about Riya Shibu?
Praising Rhea, Vikram had said at a promotional event, “She is a producer who surprised me. When I met her for the first time, she was standing very calm with a camera in her hand. I thought, ‘Is this really a producer?’ Then, I saw one of his reels. He had amazing energy! Later, I saw her dancing brilliantly at a wedding and was once again in awe. Riya, your future is very bright.”
Rhea’s first project as an actor was 2024 Malayalam Film Cup opposite Mathew Thomas, but the film did not perform well at the box office. The success of his second film, Sarvam Maya, is considered a turning point in his career as an actor.