British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, staying in character as Ali G, gave Pakistan a loud “big up” when he met Pakistani actor Haris Waheed in London during the promotional run for Ali G: Who Iz I?
Waheed approached the comedian to say he was a big fan, but Ali G cut in before he could finish.
“Where you from? Where you from?”
“Pakistan,” Waheed replied.
Ali G answered right away. “Yo, big up the Pakistan, man,” he said, and the surrounding crowd cheered.
He then singled out the capital. “Big up Islamabad, massive in here! Respect! We’ll go to the cricket!”
Waheed laughed with excitement as the exchange ended. “Crazy, crazy! What a day, I respect you,” he said.
Ali G: Who Iz I? opens in cinemas on October 23.
The film is mired in deep controversy as campaigns to boycott the film on grounds of racism and Cohen’s support for Israel get stronger. Amazon MGM Studios is distributing the film, and it marks Baron Cohen’s feature directorial debut. Baron Cohen announced the title and release date in an Instagram video as Ali G. “Dey haz finally made a documentary about me,” he wrote in the caption.
Baron Cohen filmed the movie in secret, as he did with his Borat films. Official plot details have not been released.
Baron Cohen created Ali G for Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show in 1998. The character then headlined Da Ali G Show, which ran for three seasons in the early 2000s. In the show, Ali G interviewed unsuspecting public figures, including Noam Chomsky, Andy Rooney and Newt Gingrich. The first feature film, Ali G Indahouse, arrived in 2002 and was directed by Mark Mylod.
Baron Cohen brought the character back in July 2026 at the Wimbledon men’s singles final, which took place on July 12.
