Already a familiar face to the Kerala audience after being declared as the second runner-up of the popular television show Midukki, Reba John then appeared as the love interest of Nivin Pauly in Jacobinte Swargarajyam. She has now signed her second Malayalam film as the heroine of Pippin Chuvattile Pranayam — the directorial debut of actor Neeraj Madhav. Reba, who was doing her Masters in Chemistry, had been getting a lot of modeling and acting offers, some of which she had to say no to because of the projects and assignments but Pippin… came calling at the right time.
“The offer for the film came when I was writing my final exams. I finished my last exam and the very next day joined the sets of Pippin…So many newcomers wait endlessly for the right opportunity and I did not want to let this offer go! The story was very different as also the background it was set in and I knew it was the perfect role to take up,” she says about nodding her assent to play the role of Teena. Her charcater is a resident of Pattham Thuruthu — an island in close proximity to Kochi.
Reba, while saying that she does not want to divulge more about her character, mentions just the basics. She says, “Teena is born and brought up in a lower middle class family. She is very down to earth and completely in love with the character of Neeraj Madhav since a long time. I have a lot to perform in terms of my character.” Reba enjoyed working for the film, which had many newcomers “There was a lot of experimentation happening on the sets,” she adds.
Films were never a part of Reba’s wildest dreams. As a student, she aced her studies as well as excelled in extracurricular activities. It was her uncle who asked her to audition for Midukki and the rest was like a fairytale playing out. The second runner-up title fell on her pretty head followed by modeling and acting offers. Jacobinte… also came at a break in between. Though Reba is just two films old, she is not in any tearing hurry to sign every film that comes her way. She has been flooded with offers and she mentions, “I acted with Nivin in my first film so I could have waited till I got a film with Dulquer Salmaan (no prizes for guessing her favourite actor) but acting with a star in not my defining criteria. I lay emphasis on my character and the script and believe in a good storyline.”
She has also signed on for a film opposite Jai in Tamil to be directed by Pichumani. Films are definitely her long-term plan but Reba reveals a plan B. “I focused on Chemistry so that I could get into teaching and that will happen sometime in the distant future but right now films are my focus,” she concludes.
