Antar Laniyan is a household name in Nollywood. He has featured in many home videos. In this interview with OLUWATOBILOBA OYESOLA, the actor speaks on his current project, work, family and other issues.
What is that in your background that prepared you for your present status as an actor?
I got discipline from my father, I had a very committed disciplinarian as a father. Under his supervision, you had to convince him that you were determined and focused on what you wanted to be in life. If you didn’t know what you really were doing, you might not be able to breathe the same air with my father, so as a young lad, I knew what I wanted. My father would ask ‘What are you still waiting for? If you don’t start now, when do you want to start?’ Such words from him kept me on my toes and I am reaping the rewards.
Aside from acting, what other business or occupation are you into?
For now I’m into selling lands and properties. I front for an organisation by being their image and an ambassador of their brand.
How rich is Antar Laniyan?
Antar Laniyan is not rich at all…….
What movie are you currently working on?
I am working on Angeli mi, a Yoruba movie, I am directing it and I have a marketer that is in charge of that. Fortunately, I have the producer here in front of me, then I am directing it. A fantastic and romantic movie, something that is very new in market.
Would you encourage your children to go into acting?
Haaaa, If they like it, why not? If they have the talent, why not? Nobody disturbs me so I wouldn’t disturb anybody. Incidentally, my son is studying Mass Communication at Ajayi Crowther University, thus he is still into entertainment. I know he has flair for entertainment but he has not told me, ‘Daddy, I want to be like you.’ When he was in secondary school, he took part in drama activities where he exhibited his natural flair for acting.
Have you ever been embarrassed by any of your fans or have you had any cause to be embarrassed publicly?
I would not call it embarrassment, I would say that most times you see our fans out there being star-struck, so when they are star-struck, there is the tendency for them to behave somehow strange So, what you think looks like an embarrassment is not really an embarrassment. For instance, there was a day I was driving along the road, then a lady just looked out from this commuter bus in Lagos and blew a kiss in my direction. The lady beside me asked sharply ‘ki lo n se girl yii, se o fe jabo ni? ’ (what is wrong with this girl, does she feel like jumping off the bus)?
When you are star-struck, it is just natural that when you see a celebrity, you want a handshake, autograph, photograph or an embrace so when such happens, it’s not an embarrassment to me.
And that leads me to my next question sir, which is, how do you cope with your female fans?
I cope like any other person. I do not attach gender to my fans, everybody is my fan, You love me and I love you too, because these fans that you are talking about are the people that really make you ,Without them admiring you and liking what you have done, you will not be anywhere, you would just be a figure on a screen and people would just look at you and you fade away. But the fact that you are still in their memory outside screen and they still like you outside screen makes you relevant. That means that they are there for you. So you really have to appreciate them.
Sometimes, you leave your families for weeks or days for location, how has it been like?
It has been good, there is no complaint. I have to feed them, if I don’t go out to location, how do I feed them? I have school fees, house rent and bills to settle.
So how do you relax?
I relax when I am not on location. There are three places I know; the location, my home and my office. I don’t go to parties. If I had to go to a party, it is either that person or the party is very important or inevitable. So, if you don’t meet me at home with my children, you will meet me at my office.
Can you tell us how you met your wife?
Like any other person, I just met her and I liked her, I wooed her and she agreed, and today we are together.
Any advice for up-and-coming artistes who aspire to be like you?
They have to be focused and disciplined. They have to know what they want, they shouldn’t put money first, when they gain the fame, then money will come, but discipline is the keyword, because if you are not disciplined, you just miss it, because celebrity means status demands that one has to be respectful and remain humble at the right moment. If you are disciplined from home, you have no problem with the outside world.
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