Mumbai: Controversial cult film Borat has released directly on home video in India. Borat is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was released on VCD by Excel Home Videos.

Controversy surrounded the film even before its release. Denounced for having a protagonist who is sexist and anti-Semitic (although the director, and both producers including Cohen are Jewish), and, after the film’s release, some cast members spoke against, and even sued its creators. All Arab countries, except for Lebanon, banned it and the Russian government discouraged cinemas there from screening it.

The film is written, produced by, and stars the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen in the title role of a fictitious Kazakh journalist travelling through the United States, recording real-life interactions with Americans.

Despite a limited initial release in the United States, the satire was a critical and commercial success. Cohen won the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor: Musical or Comedy, as Borat, while the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture in the same category. Borat was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 79th Academy Awards. Sacha Baron Cohen also won the MTV Movie Award for best Comedic Performance for Borat.

The film is available only on VCD in stores across the country and is priced at Rs. 299.