Borat Sagdiyev (Kazakh/Russian: Борат Сагдиев) (born February 27, 1972) is a satirical fictional character invented and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. He is presented as a Kazakhstani journalist and is the main protagonist of the film Borat...
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and voice actor. A graduate of Cambridge University, Baron Cohen is most widely known for writing and playing four unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, Brüno, and...
Borat and Kazakhstan
- Foreign Minister reveals visa requests have increased tenfold since 2006 film
- He tells Sacha Baron Cohen: 'I salute you'
Kazakhstan today issued an official ‘thank you’ to Sacha Baron Cohen for his comedy character Borat who lampooned its people.
His 2006 film depicting a mock Kazakh TV journalist led to a huge boost in tourism and helped put the oil-rich former Soviet state on the map, Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov admitted in parliament.
'I salute ‘Borat’ for helping attract tourists to Kazakhstan, ' he said.
Offense: Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat was initially met with outrage by Kazachstan
'With the release of this film, the number of visas issued by Kazakhstan grew tenfold.'
It took six years for the a top Kazakh official to admit anything other than disgust at the portrayal of his country in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
Earlier the movie was banned in Kazakhstan, and tensions were inflamed when the Olympic Committee of Asia accidentally played Borat’s spoof Kazakh national anthem during an awards ceremony for shooting medals in Kuwait.
Yet despite the diplomatic blunder, The Kazakh athlete who was the recipient of the major error, Maria Dmitrienko, refused to be flustered, and continued to the end of the made-up song.
The rest of her shooting team, for who she has just won the gold medal for, were less than impressed however, and demanded the ceremony be re-run as well as a full apology made.
Cringewothy: The viewing of the Borta movie was painful for Kazachstan - but the interest in the country is caused led to a tenfold increase in visa requests
Among the lyrics was the verse: 'Kazakhstan’s prostitutes cleanest in the region.
'Except of course Turkmenistan’s'
The Kazakh embassy in London was put under 'strict orders' to ensure British officials are aware of the correct anthem to ensure no embarrassing repeat at the London Olympics in July.
Kazakh competitors are also being trained in their own anthem so they can immediately protest if the spoof version in played.
Many of the country’s Olympic team are ethnic Russians who do not speak Kazakh, so they are being given a crash course in the words.
