Former Miss Kerala India winner Christeena Biju never expected she would have to eat raw fish in her life. But when she joined the other contestants of ‘Reality Ranis of the Jungle,’ a show hosted by Varun Sood, on the first day she was in for a major surprise. They were shown plates of raw fish, meat, brain of a goat, eyeballs and chicken feet. They had to eat these items to get into the next round. Christeena remembered her mom at the moment. “I was like, what would she think? I have always been someone who complained about the smell of fish whenever she cooked. Now, I was eating raw fish to ensure I survived in this show,” she said with a laugh.
Christeena, however, admitted that was not the most difficult task in the show that featured 12 contestants.
“For one of the tasks, I was asked to find 10 heavy bags in the cold freezing water and drag them to a spot. I have been swimming from the age of 16 but never felt this scared. The currents were strong and I nearly drowned a couple of times. It was definitely scary, but I am glad I was able to pull it off,” she said. However, Christeena was disappointed that her teammates unfairly nominated her for the task. “They judged me because of what I was wearing and felt I was not serious about my task. So, they put me in a spot. I have always been someone who loves to dress up. I put on makeup and wear hairclips even when I get ready for a task. That does not mean I am less serious about my responsibilities. I don’t change myself to suit any situation. I am who I portray myself to be," said the actor and model, who is currently based in Delhi.
She said she had to fight prejudices when she first arrived at the show. “On day one, I could feel other contestants judging me and a few other players, as we were models. This made us want to prove them wrong,” she said.
So, did she feel like giving up? “Right from the start (laughs). I had to carry these heavy bags through the uneven mountain terrain, without anyone’s help. For a moment, I just felt this was not my cup of tea,” she said. However, Christeena said she found a different side of herself in the hard terrains of the jungle. “I am a fighter but never realised that I had such physical strength. It was a roller coaster ride, but I am glad I was part of it,” she said.
The actor, who was raised in Sikkim and Haryana, is the daughter of a colonel. Though she has lived most of her life in North India, she said Kerala is very close to her heart. “I would prefer spending my holidays here, enjoying my family’s warmth,” she said. Christeena has acted in the Hindi fim ‘Namumkin Tere Bin Jeena’. The 26-year-old model became passionate about acting while pursuing her bachelors in Textile Design at NIFT. “They would conduct acting workshops there and I started actively pursuing it, she said. This was followed by her stint at the Femina Miss India contest.
Reality Ranis of the Jungle premiered on Discovery Channel and discovery+ on September 23 and is based on the Dutch show Echte meisjes. Here, twelve contestants from different walks of life meet and greet and tackle extreme challenges while embodying the spirit of empowerment. The show is available in all languages, including Malayalam.