Oka Antara

Oka Antara (native name: Nyoman Oka Antara, born: 8 July 1981) is an Indonesian rapper and actor of Balinese descent.

Life and career

Antara was born in Jakarta on 8 July 1981. He is of Balinese descent. In his early career he took up rapping.

Antara made his film debut in 2005 with Gue Kapok Jatuh Cinta (I Give Up on Falling in Love). One of the film's directors, Thomas Nawilis, asked him to write the film's soundtrack; Antara did so, and sang a duet with Sabria Kono entitled "So Special" for the film. After the film's success, Antara continued acting. In 2006 he played in Dunia Mereka (Their World), and the following year he was in Hantu (Ghost).

In 2008 he played Syaiful in Ayat-Ayat Cinta (The Verses of Love), a film by Hanung Bramantyo; the part earned him a Citra Award nomination at the Indonesian Film Festival. The following year he appeared in another Bramantyo film, Perempuan Berkalung Sorban (The Girl With the Keffiyeh Around Her Neck); he considered the script very interesting, citing it as his reason for joining the cast. This role earned him an award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 Bandung Film Festival. That same year he played a Presidential Protection Squad member in Queen Bee, directed by Fajar Nugroho. For the role, he studied the squad's role from books and took training from a real-life member.