LEGENDS OF THE ARTS: ANTAR LANIYAN
ANTAR LANIYAN
Antar Babatunde Laniyan, is a popular
Nigerian veteran actor, film producer, and director. He has appeared in several
Nollywood films since he rose to the spotlight in 1981, playing vital roles in
the Nigerian film industry.
Laniyan was born in Osogbo, the capital
of Osun State in southwestern Nigeria. He pursued his secondary education at
Baptist Secondary School in Lagos State, successfully obtaining his WAEC
certificate. He later proceeded to the University of Ibadan where he obtained a
Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre arts.
The Ace actor, film director and producer, Antar Laniyan, revealed that his mother carried the pregnancy that produced him for 18 months due to spiritual manipulation
According to Antar, "the name, Antar, is Yoruba; it has to do with the story of my birth; that is why it’s unique; that’s why you hardly can or you may not find another person bearing that name. So, it has to do with the story of my birth. I overstayed in my mother’s womb. I stayed 18 months. At that time, there was this fear that my mother would die with the baby in her womb; so she had to run all over the place to seek help. During her sojourn, she met a great herbalist that revealed what was the cause of the abnormal delay. She found out that someone was behind it. An animal called iguana, which is awonriwon or Antar in Yoruba, had to be used. It ‘s bigger than lizard. It was added to some salt and a concoction was made for my mother to take. A few hours after she took it, she went into labour. On her way to the hospital, I came on. She didn’t, therefore, see anything wrong in naming me after the animal"
Laniyan began acting in 1981 and the
first major role he played as a professional actor was the role of a "major
general" in a film titled Everybody wants to know during his
days at the Kakaki Art Squad.
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He has featured in several Nigerian films including Sango, a film
scripted by Wale Ogunyemi and produced by Obafemi
Lasode. He was the director of the first episode of Super Story, the
award-winning Nigerian soap opera produced by Wale Adenuga in the year 2000. He
also directed Oh Father Oh Daughter and This Life produced from the stable
of Wale Adenuga Production.
Laniyan embarked on his acting journey in
1981, marking his professional debut with a significant role as a “major general”
in the film “Everybody Wants to Know” while associated with the Kakaki Art
Squad.
About childhood and growing up, Antar said, "I started very early in life, as I said earlier. I started when I didn’t know where I was going. At that time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I just saw myself around Ijora attending rehearsals with some elderly people. That was around 1976 or so. I was very small. I was a small boy, just one young boy moving around with other people. I was helping them to pack their stage props; some of the things were local drums, like Gangan, their gongs and Shekere, among others. They were also sending me on errands. I just saw myself following them all over the place. I was in my lower class, in secondary school. While I was in the secondary school, I didn’t see anything wrong in joining dramatic class, because primarily, I had thought that after my secondary school I would join the army; that was what I wanted to do. I loved the military. I still love them.
During my secondary school lower class, I used to represent my school in inter-school competitions; I mean drama competitions and we won laurels. Our seniors in school then, used to tell the principal that if not for Antar, we wouldn’t have won anything and all that. So when I was eventually made the president of the dramatic society in the secondary school, because of my contributions and activities, we were still wining laurels for the school. One day, my school principal, Chief M. O Alake, who was the father of present Alake, called me to his office and told me that he saw me excelling more in drama than any other thing in life. I don’t know why the man did that; he just asked: ‘Antar after your secondary school, what will your course be?’ I told him that I wanted to be a soldier. He laughed and said he would advise that I go into dramatic arts or theatre arts or anything like that. I told him that I can’t be, but he said he saw what I was doing during rehearsals and have seen the laurels we won and concluded that I would do well in acting.
He didn’t live to see what I have become because he died not long after that. I remember that I started appearing in the newspapers for first time in 1981 when I was with Ben Tomoloju’ Kakaaki. In 1979, we started Kakaaki performance and we started doing professional films in 1980. As at 1980, we were already on the pages of The Punch newspapers and there was this evening paper around that time too. Indeed, a year after leaving secondary school, I had started appearing in newspapers. It was like an encouragement.
After my HSC, I still wanted to be a soldier, but when I remembered the principal’s advice and also considered the fact that then, I had become popular in the town, as people recognise me in the streets, saying: Ah, that’s the boy actor. You see, I was a small boy but I was being recognised. There were not many artistes at that time, so it was easy for people to identify me. I decided to give full time acting a trial. There was this pressure from Ben Tomoloju too. He was always urging me to read theatre because he had gone to Ibadan to study Theatre Arts too.
Eventually, I succumbed to the pressure and enrolled for Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. When I got in there, I saw theatre in its quintessential nature."
When asked about his first pay as an actor, He said "I can’t remember. In any case, I remember RMD (Richard Mofe-Damijo) asking when were going to earn our first N1, 000. I remember that we where under the tree at the National Arts Theatre discussing and wondering when we were going to earn our first N1, 000. There was no money then; nobody was paying. Who would pay you that time? Nobody was paying anybody. Around 1976, I was less than 15. I was a small boy. I was a small boy running away from home, to help people carry props, in production stage. I used to abandon my mother’s wares to help them carry drums."
Since then, he has been a notable
presence in the Nigerian film industry, featuring in various productions,
including the acclaimed film “Sango,” which was scripted by Wale Ogunyemi and
produced by Obafemi Lasode.
Adding to his versatile career, Laniyan
took on the role of director for the first episode of “Super Story,” an
award-winning Nigerian soap opera created by Wale Adenuga in the year 2000.
His directorial expertise extended to
projects like “Oh Father Oh Daughter” and “This Life,” both produced under the
banner of Wale Adenuga Production.
Some of Laniyan’s works, arranged
according to popularity, include;
1. Ijakumo: The Born Again Stripper (2022)
2. Agogo èèwò (2002)
3. Covenant (2022)
4. Olola-Aginju
5. Last Request (2019)
6. Most Wanted 2 (1998)
7. Kabiosi (2015)
8. Oduduwa (2000)
9. Ekun Iyawo (2022)
10. Black Val (2016)
11. Most Wanted (II) (1998)
12. Olufunmi (2005 Video)
13. Kakanfo (2020)
14. Hostages (1997)
15. Yemoja (2011)
16. Atupa (2018)
17. Aruga (2015)
18. Sàngó: The Legendary African King (1998)
19. Return of Jenifa (2011)
20. Wanted at all Cost (2004)
21. Contractors (2003)
22. Oro Ife (2022)
23. Alagbara (2007)
24. Afua (2021)
25. Arewà (2003)
26. Òréré layé (2009)
27. Àkóbí gómìnà 2 (2002)
28. Akandun (2007)
29. Contractors 2 (2003)
30. Durodola 2 (2005)
31. The Cleanser (2021)
32. Kadara Mi (2004)
33. Eje adegbenro 2 (2006)
34. Idunnu mi (2007)
35. Durodola (2005)
36. Egun (2007)
37. Oduduwa 2 (2000)
38. Eje adegbenro (2006)
39. Alagbara 2 (2007)
If Antar hadn't been an actor, he would have been a soldier. Asked why, he said "As a small boy, I lived in the barracks. I once lived in the barracks with my mother. It was 202 Battalion at Ilaran. My mother was the chief mammy market woman. She started the market, so she was made the chief of that market and we were going to the barracks everyday to sell food. I was always a witness to the parade in the morning, parade in the afternoon and I fell in love with the uniform and I vowed that one day, I would wear the shining khaki uniform. Besides the uniforms, I loved the discipline being instilled in the soldiers in the barracks.
It rubbed off on me, as that discipline is still in me till today. As a director and actor, it comes handy. I am always conscious of punctuality in my productions."
Laniyan is happily married to a supportive wife, although her identity remains undisclosed. The revelation of their marriage became public in 2014.
The union is
blessed with 2 handsome sons.
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