Delulu, the endearing ghost, has been the talk of tinsel town since Christmas day 2025. Riya Shibu is still trying to wrap her head around how life has changed since she played the character in the Malayalam film Sarvam Maya, Akhil Sathyan’s sophomore, breezy film headlined by Nivin Pauly.
At 21, she is no stranger to fame, having been a popular social media influencer and a producer. But Delulu has taken that to another level. “It has been crazy. In the first few days, I was trying hard to process everything. Theatre visits made me emotional, especially when people came up to hug me. The response has been overwhelming. It is all sinking in now. Instead of welcoming the new year with a bang and having a blast, I chose to be at the comfort of my home. I felt content, happy and satisfied,” says the actor.
Riya Shibu
| Photo Credit:
Syam Kunjan
Sarvam Maya has Nivin as Prabhendu, an up-and-coming musician, who belongs to a prominent family of priests. Although he chooses to stay away from the vocation, he is forced to assist his cousin, Roopesh (Aju Varghese), to conduct rituals so as to make ends meet. But an exorcism ritual goes awry and an affable ghost ends up staying with Prabhendu. He names her Delulu (Gen Z word for delusion), for she cannot remember who she is. The narrative is about how she changes Prabhendu’s life for the better and eventually realises what binds them together.
A delight to watch, Riya has been getting praise for the ease with which she essayed the Gen Z ghost. A natural in front of the camera, which obviously comes from her social media presence, Riya says she came on board after Akhil saw an interview of her promoting her production Mura, which stars her elder brother, Hridhu Haroon, whose filmography reads movies such as All We Imagine As Lightand Dude. Akhil was so impressed that he contacted her father, Shibu Thameens, a leading producer and distributor, to cast her. Even though her debut film Cup (2024) did not do well at the box office, her social media content vouched for her talent.
A still from Sarvam Maya
| Photo Credit:
Rohith K Suresh
Riya says although she did not expect the film to do so well, Akhil was confident. “While shooting some scenes, he would say, ‘This would be a hit’, ‘This scene would be viral’…. Nivin chettan and I would ask him not to jinx it! He was sure about how the audience would react to certain scenes and he was right.”
She adds that it was Akhil’s confidence in her that put her at ease. “He always said, ‘We like you as you are. Be yourself’. It was through Delulu that I understood how I speak in real life. Whenever I doubted myself or started overthinking, he would step in. For example, I was worried about the classical dance sequence since it was new to me. I feared if classical dancers would take me to task. But he encouraged me and pushed me to give my best. He was extremely patient even when I kept on pointing out problems with my gestures, body language… In the song sequence, ‘Chiri thottu’, I felt that I was not being sad enough and kept telling him that I should have put on such and such expressions. He would finally ask, ‘Do you think I am dumb?’ And while discussing a scene, he would digress to crack jokes. He is such a chilled out, empathetic and understanding director.”
Akhil was clear about her look as well, be it her hair or costume. “He wanted me to be like how I am at home and even let me wear some of my own clothes, like the T-shirt with Dosa written on it. Sameera chechi [costume designer Sameera Saneesh] added her magic by opting for certain colours, especially the pastel hues, and some beautiful dresses.“
Riya is all praise for how Nivin supported her. “He used to engage me in conversations during the shoot so that I did not worry about the scene. He would crack jokes or share stories and that put me at ease.”
Riya Shibu
| Photo Credit:
Syam Kunjan
Cinema has been part of her growing up years and Riya says that she has always been into creative activities. Along the way she fell in love with the process of content creation.
As for production, Riya stresses that it is her father who takes the final call but he does take her suggestions. “I was always curious about what my father did and he would patiently explain whenever I asked doubts. Eventually I started taking interest and took up production. However, I need to learn more and once I am sure about handling it on my own, I will get fully involved.” She has worked on their productions such as Mumbaikar, Thugs, Mura and the Tamil film Veera Dheera Sooran : Part 2, starring Vikram.
Talking about her brother Hridhu, Riya says that they are extremely supportive of each other’s careers. “I keep telling ikka (elder brother) that he should do comedy!”
Riya Shibu with Nivin Pauly in Sarvam Maya
| Photo Credit:
Rohith K Suresh
Riya looks forward to be part of rom-coms and light-hearted movies. Offers have begun coming in from Telugu and Tamil. Meanwhile she is currently acting in Arun Anirudhan’s Athiradi, starring Tovino Thomas, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Basil Joseph.
Published – January 07, 2026 03:35 pm IST
