High five! Sarah Baron Cohen is helping out some Borat fans by offering to pay their fines following their arrest in Kazakhstan for wearing lime-green mankinis inspired by his character.
“To my Czech mates who were arrested. Send me your details and proof that it was you, and I’ll pay your fine,” the 46-year-old wrote on Facebook on Monday, November 20. He also added the email: “Arrestedforwearingyourmankini@gmail.com.”
The six tourists from the Czech Republic were detained by police on November 15 for posing for photos in public while they visited Kazakhstan’s capital city, Astana. The guys took off their clothes to reveal skimpy swimsuits and black wigs, similar to the look Cohen showed off in the 2006 movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Local media reported the pranksters will have to pay a fine of $67 to the local authorities for their minor hooliganism charges.
The comedian faced his own troubles while playing the outrageous fictional Kazakh television presenter. Cohen’s movie received some attention from the FBI during filming, it was banned in several countries after its release, and Kazakhstan’s political leaders threatened to sue the actor for his portrayal of their country.
That changed in April 2012 when the country’s Foreign Minister, Yerzhan Kazykhanov, said that the number of visas issued by the country has gone up since the movie’s release, saying: “I am grateful to Borat for helping attract tourists to Kazakhstan.”