So maybe this is a stretch, but surely those who hold that Vedic civilization stems from nomadic people from Central Asia will accept that we desis therefore have a vestigial family tie with Borat, the absurd, allegedly Kazakh TV reporter who’s a creation of British comic Sacha Baron Cohen. As you may know, Borat’s movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, opens in a few weeks, after a rapturous welcome at the Toronto Film Festival and at various sneak previews.
The Borat character is quite brilliant, as you can see on any of the video clips here. Of course, if you were Kazakh you might not feel the same way. Unfortunately, Borat had to come from somewhere, and it seems that Kazakhstan drew the short straw. I feel bad for the Kazakhs; Borat tests their patience and sense of humor, and now, with the movie about to open in the US and Europe, the Kazakh government is highly agitated about the prospect that Borat will become their country’s global image. Here’s the spokesman of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry:
We understand that Borat is a kind of satire, but it is just a pity that Mr Cohen chose Kazakhstan as the origin of his hero, Mr Ashykbayev told The Times. As far as I know, he has never been to Kazakhstan, although there have been efforts on the part of some people here to invite him so that he can see what our country is really like. …
Mr Ashykbayev said that there were no plans to ban Borat from Kazakhstan. But he added: I hope the companies responsible for screening this movie will show some responsibility and not show it.
It is quite insulting to the people of Kazakhstan and it may create some accusations from the public against the Government for letting such things come to our country.
That’s from an article today in The Times, which reports that the Kazakh government is bankrolling a film of its own, Nomad:
Set in the 18th century, Nomad tells the story of Mansur, a handsome warrior born to unite the Kazakh tribes and free them from the Jungar occupiers of western Mongolia.
Nomad will be distributed by the Weinstein brothers (of Miramax fame). The Scotsman has more, including some odd casting details:
The film opens with the divided Kazakh tribes failing to unite against the conquering Dzungars from western Mongolia. A mysterious Kazakh warrior, Oraz - played by Scott Lee - predicts the birth of a boy who will fulfil that role.
Alarmed by the prophesy, the Dzungars ambush a convoy carrying the newborn son of a local khan, who is believed to be the special child, and attempt to abduct him. The boy is rescued by Oraz, who agrees to bring him up and train him to be the leader of the future.
The up-and-coming commander, played by Mexican actor Kuno Becker, faces a series of challenges throughout the film, culminating in a duel involving a Dzungar warrior played by CSI star Mark Dacascos, who has kidnapped Oraz’s sweetheart, played by Kazakh actress, Ayanat Yesmagambetova. [Jay] Hernandez, who starred with Kirsten Dunst in the 2001 film Crazy/Beautiful, features as the young warrior’s father.
Well, at least the leading lady is Kazakh… Anyway, the timing of the film has nothing, nothing at all to do with Borat:
A spokesman for the Kazakh embassy in London said: “This film was not made because of Borat, but we do believe that we need to make people more aware of Kazakhstan. Most people had never heard of Kazakhstan before the 1990s, but the nation has a history and heritage which pre-dates Christ. I think that many people in the West now regard Borat as offensive and inappropriate and nothing to do with Kazakhstan.”
He added: “Negotiations are under way for the film to be shown in Western Europe, including here in the UK. We hope to have it shown in the next few months, which will be great. It shows the variety of natural scenery we have as well as the rich culture and history of Kazakhstan. If you’re looking for a comparison with a Western film then you could say it’s quite similar to Braveheart as a historical epic with spectacular scenes.”
Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev visits the United States this week, meeting President Bush on Friday at the White House after a visit to the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport. Lots of opportunities to discuss the spread of democracy with this staunch ally, who has run the place since Communist days and has outlawed the opposition and muzzled the press. Hey, if that doesn’t fill their time, the leaders can kick back and watch some movies.
