Borat unleashed on the world

With British TV exports already proving popular around the world, another comedy star, Borat Sagdiyev, is set to hit screens overseas. For the uninitiated, Borat is the fictional creation of Sacha Baron Cohen, the British comedian also responsible for Ali G, and is supposed to be a Kazakh journalist who has been despatched to find out about Western culture and life. Brilliantly playing up to all the negative stereotypes us ‘cultured’ people in the developed world have of former Soviet countries, Borat is openly misogynistic, antisemitic and just a generally all-round vulgar man, who takes every opportunity to tell us about his love of shooting dogs, catching gypsies and sleeping with prostitutes.

At the recent premier of his movie, Borat, having turned up in a horse-drawn, dilapidated limousine replete with ‘Miss Kazakhstan’ (a toothless old crone) and gallons of fermented horse urine (allegedly the drink of choice in his homeland), went on to tell the press that he wished to offer his grandson for adoption by the ‘transvestite’ Madonna. Baron Cohen, himself a Cambridge-educated Jew whose father is a well-respected professor of psychology, has long been known on British TV screens in his role as Ali G, the bling-wearing, ridiculous-question-asking, wannabe ‘gangsta’, whose TV show and film also had some success on the other side of the Atlantic. However, it is his Kazakh creation which seems destined to propel Baron Cohen to stardom and wider acclaim.

However, it is not only Borat’s character in itself which makes his TV show and upcoming film so hilarious and ingenious. Baron Cohen’s talent, as previously demonstrated with Ali G, is to create such a ridiculous character who asks such outlandish questions that his interviewees/victims are lulled into letting their guard down and giving answers they perhaps would not wish to. A prime example of this came on a tour of an American hunting ranch where the respectable-seeming owner was encouraged by Borat into a rant against Jews in America (click here for a clip of this rather unpleasant episode which perfectly encapsulates how Borat’s interviews can simultaneously be uncomfortable, intriguing and downright hilarious). Baron Cohen’s genius lies in revealing the aspects of people which they never would show publicly under other circumstances.

Borat’s newly found fame has also caused diplomatic anger from Kazakhstan, whose officials are unsurprisingly not delighted that their country is being portrayed in such a bad light. Their efforts, including taking out a four-page advert in prominent American newspapers, have so far proved unsuccessful and even counterproductive, with Borat holding his own ‘press conferences' to claim that those criticising him are actually ‘nitwit’ Uzbeks intent on damaging the image of Kazakhstan. The Kazakh government have even threatened potential legal action when the upcoming film is released, but one hopes they instead take the attitude that ‘no publicity is bad publicity’ and make the most of their country’s unwanted fame (update: it seems like they have taken my advice word for word!).

It remains to be seen how long Borat’s success can be sustained. Baron Cohen’s characters by their nature have rather limited shelf lives, as when they become well-know it spells an end to innocent celebrities, academics, politicians and normal members of the public being suckered into supposedly genuine interviews. While initially hilarious, Ali G’s performances rather quickly become repetitive, and once everyone knew who he was, his celebrity interviews become rehearsed and hackneyed. But for the moment Borat looks set to continue to offend, amuse and baffle in equal measure. Jagshemash!