Matt Adcock meets Borat

Matt Adcock meets Borat

It was my immeasurable honour this week to meet international Kazakhstani superstar Borat Sagdiyev, in London for the opening of his new ‘blockbusterings’ movie - Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

He bursts into the press conference at the swanky Dorchester Hotel pausing only briefly to great as many male journalists as he can with kisses and pocket a digital camera from one of them. He has the look of a man who has been through a lot to bring the world his heart rending new film. During filming he was tracked by the FBI, hunted by redneck rodeo owners and he suffered terribly at the err, ‘wrong end’ of his large hairy producer Azamat Bagatov (an eye watering scene which should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone contemplating a bout of male nude wrestling).

So Borat – how has your film been received so far?

Borat: “It take top spot in my country! Even though Kazakh censor did give this movie their most strict ratings, meaning no one there can look on it if they younger than 3 years old. Kazakh censor was also concern about amount of anti-Semitisms it contain, although eventually they decide there just enough and allow it be release.

”It is also the most expensive film ever made in Kazakhstan. It cost 48 million tenge – this equivalent to 5000 US Dollar. Ministry of Information supplement budget by selling uranium…”

Wow, I see, but what did you learn from your fact finding trip to the USA?

Borat: “Along my travelings, I learn many new things about America. For example that it no longer legal to shoot at Red Indians. Once again I apologise with all my heart to the staff of the Potawotomi Casino in Kansas!

"I was also very surprise to discover that womens is permit to operate motocar. This could never happen in Kazakhstan.where it is said that to let woman drive car is like to let monkey fly a plane. We do not allow this any more since 2003 Astana air crash."

Any other highlights?

Borat: “Yes. While in the South, we passed by a group of soldiers making re-enacting of the American Civil Wars. It very similar to the Kazakh re-enactment of the Tishniek Massacre, which we do every year by travelling to the town of Tishniek and massacring them. Why not?”

Thank you for your honesty, I was a bit freaked out by the positive reaction you got in America when you shouted: “May George Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq!”

Borat: "Jagshemash! We in Kazakhstan admires very much George Walter Bush. He a very wise man and very strong - although perhaps not so strong or handsome as his father Barbara."

And with that he disappears into the night to pursue his hobbies of ‘ping pong, disco dance and taking photos of ladies doing toilet without their knowledge’, pausing only briefly to tell one female journalist that he already has a photo of her…

Borat’s film opens this week – and I can say with little doubt that it is the funniest Kazakh film you’ll ever see!

Read my review of the film here: Borat