Riya Shibu

Some Lesser Known Facts About Riya Shibu

• Riya Shibu was born into a business family based in Kerala, connected closely with South Indian cinema production and distribution.

• She is the daughter of producer and distributor Shibu Thameens, who runs Thameens Films and Thameens Release for Tamil and Malayalam movies.

• Her father’s banner backed films like ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi (2013), Puli (2015), and Iru Mugan (2016).

• She is a dog lover and had a pet dog named Oreo during her childhood.

  

• She first gained public attention through short videos on TikTok, Dubsmash, and Musically, where she built a large online following during her teenage years, which often featured her best friend Ananya Allwyn Antony.

  

• In 2023, she made her production debut with the Tamil action film Thugs, produced under the banner of HR Pictures.

• Thugs starred her brother Hridhu Haroon and actor Anaswara Rajan, and was a remake of the Malayalam film Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil.

  

• The same year, she co-produced Mumbaikar, starring Vikrant Massey and Vijay Sethupathi, a remake of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Maanagaram.

• Riya Shibu’s acting debut in the 2024 Malayalam film Cup, opposite Mathew Thomas, was a failure as the film failed to gain audience attention.

• In 2024, she produced the gangster thriller Mura, which again featured her brother Hridhu Haroon in a lead role.

• Her biggest production project, Veera Dheera Sooran: Part–2, released in 2025, starring Vikram, SJ Suryah, and Suraj Venjaramoodu. The film received positive reviews and earned approximately Rs 63.45 crore worldwide at the box office.

• In 2025, she appeared in Nivin Pauly’s Sarvam Maya, playing the character Delulu, a young ghost. Sarvam Maya became a major Malayalam box office success, earning around Rs 44 crore globally within five days of release.

  

• As of 2026, Riya Shibu is popular on social media with around 8 lakh followers on Instagram.