Actor and director Antar Laniyan has shared the story behind his name, revealing that it was inspired by the unusual circumstances surrounding his birth.
Speaking on Behind the Fame, the film star said he spent 18 months in his mother’s womb, a delay that left relatives worried and convinced the situation was beyond medical explanation.
According to him, his mother was eventually advised to eat a creature known in Yoruba as “Anta”, described as smaller than a crocodile but similar in appearance to a lizard.
He said that shortly after she ate it, his birth followed almost immediately.
“I overstayed in my mother’s womb; I stayed 18 months, according to her,” he said.
Laniyan continued:
“She was advised to eat Anta, and after eating it, I was born within an hour. So my mother didn’t see anything wrong with adding that thing to my name.”
The Osogbo-born actor explained that the name later took its final form when he got into primary school.
“When I got to primary school and my friends were playing with the name, I added an R to make it Antar,” he said.
Reflecting on the story, Laniyan said it has made him appreciate the sacrifices mothers make.
“There’s a story behind it, and I like telling it at times because I want every individual to know the importance of having a mother: a good mother, a great one,” he said.
“The kind of things that our mother passed through before they gave birth to us individually, we do not know because we were not there. But when a mother goes into telling you how you came to be, you will weep for yourself.”
Antar Laniyan, who began his acting career in 1981, is one of Nollywood’s respected figures. With a Theatre Arts degree from the University of Ibadan, he has starred in several acclaimed films and directed notable productions, including the first episode of Wale Adenuga’s Super Story in 2000.
