Sacha Baron Cohen’s most recent film, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm needed to be filmed in total secrecy in order to preserve its chances for success. Clearly the sequel doesn’t have anything to worry about now in that respect, as the film became an overnight success and a highly popular talking point upon its release last October.
However, as the first Borat film was such a success, Cohen’s profile as well as the profile of his beloved Kazakhstani alter-ego became internationally known. The phenomenon caused by Borat Sagdiyev cooled down in time, and the fact that Cohen followed up the film three years later with the successful Brüno provided a good respite from a character that some felt was likely just a flash in the pan. But Cohen’s comedic abilities shouldn’t be underestimated – at least that’s the lesson that seems to have been learned from the release of Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm. The sequel did add the talents of Maria Bakalova to the mix, something that definitely provides a brand new edge to the Borat franchise, but even with Bakalova on board, production on the film was arguably far more challenging than most.
As the first production to be shot and released during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilmwas both held back and inspired by the global state of affairs. And even though lockdowns arguably provided Cohen and his crew more space to work with the Borat character without being discovered by fans, the degree to which silence had to be maintained over the production is only now becoming apparent. During a recent CinemaBlend interview with Borat 2 producer Monica Levinson, the veteran Borat producer explained how difficult it was to remain quiet and how important it was to do so:
It’s super stressful. I produced Borat and Bruno you know, way back when, so I had practice in filming in secret. When your friends ask you what you're doing, you have to make up a story or just say, ‘Oh, just this little thing,’ and you kind of brush over it and you don't talk about it. I don't think I said the word ‘Borat’ until gosh, way after the trailer was out because it was just, it scares me. I mean we are so trained not to say the character’s name and we don't make mistakes. If you say the character's name in practice in any way, shape or form, or in any pages that we receive or any outlines it's more likely that you will slip up at some point. And the reality is that if we don't film in secret, the movie is not going to be successful or get made successfully because then if people know what's happening, then it's nearly impossible to make it.
It's easy to understand the sort of pressure that could be attached to a production like Borat 2, considering that so many people simply love Borat. As Levinson says, one slip up can potentially ruin the secrecy of the entire film, and when so much is riding on the success of various scenes or jokes, that undoubtedly makes for a lot of responsibility and stress. All of this only adds to the intrigue of creating the Borat character and gives a little more insight into how difficult it actually is for Cohen to create the comedy he does.
Critics have often repeated the same worn out clichés regarding Cohen’s comedy – mainly stating that it’s juvenile and goes for base level targets. But as with most things done at a professional level, the end results often look far easier than they were to achieve. Knowing how challenging it is/was to keep a production like Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm under wraps isn’t likely to change the mind of those who aren’t Cohen fans, but it does offer some welcome insight into how complex such a process is.
Source: CinemaBlend