In a truly ironic twist, Sacha Baron Cohen, the British comedian whose alter egos Borat and Ali G have alternately amused and offended audiences all over the world, has been nominated for a national award in Kazakhstan for his latest film, “Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan”. This occurs just a few weeks after Cohen’s pre-publicity antics outside the White House offended visiting Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Since then President Nazarbayev has changed his tune, saying that the film is after all a comedy and that it has raised Kazakhstan’s profile around the world. In the film, Cohen plays Borat, a roving Kazakh broadcast journalist who goes on a naive journey of discovery of America, and in the process rips-off the images of both countries.
Kazakh novelist Sapabek Asip-uly has called on his nation’s Club of Art Patrons to give Cohen its annual award, according to a letter published by the Vremya newspaper. He says, “(Borat) has managed to spark an immense interest of the whole world in Kazakhstan – something our authorities could not do during the years of independence. If state officials completely lack a sense of humour, their country becomes a laughing stock.”
Source: WENN/imd.com
