As it presented its case this week to prove that Tohtar Tuleshov was plotting to seize power, Kazakhstan’s security services revealed that the businessman was involved in, of all things, film production. And not especially successfully at that.
In truth, Tuleshov’s Shymkent Pictures studio, named after the city where he was based, was not much to write home about. Its only known complete production was leaked to the internet before it was officially released, damaging its already dubious commercial prospects. The IMDB film website lists the 2007 movie under the name “Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter.” (The Russian term “Blizhniy Boy” means “close quarters combat”).
Depending on how generous one is willing to be, it could be said that the movie, which reportedly had a $4 million budget, included some illustrious bit players: the late David Carradine, Gary Busey, and Eric Roberts, brother of the more famous Julia Roberts.
In the main role, Vietnamese-American former multiple martial arts fighter Cung Le played a man called Eric, who returns from the United States to his native Kazakhstan (yes) only to accidentally become witness to a crime being committed by a gangland kingpin. Eric escapes back to the United States, which is when all the trouble begins.
The criminal underworld plot-line is curious given that Kazakhstan’s authorities are now accusing Tuleshov of also being a member of the notorious and murky trans-national criminal group known as the Brothers’ Circle. Such is the ill-repute of this organization that some of its suspected members have been targeted for sanctions by the US Treasury Department.
The trailer for Blizhniy Boy is worth watching in all its gloriously unimpressive entirety.
One scene (see top photo above) shows the character walking in front of the presidential administration building in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. Perhaps the National Security Committee, or KNB, will seize upon this detail as more damning evidence on which to prop up their claims that Tuleshov had designs on toppling President Nursultan Nazarbayev and taking his place.
Indeed, the bulk of the KNB’s case so far rests on a picture they claim to have found on Tuleshov’s computer that shows the businessman sitting in an executive office chair and looking at that same Akorda presidential administration building.
“This is another detail in his psychological makeup that demonstrates his ambitions,” KNB spokesman Ruslan Karasev explained to reporters, drawing a profound and rich character profile.
And what of the scene where Eric and his girlfriend together place their hands inside the gold-plated cast mould of Nazarbayev’s hand, which is situated inside Astana’s Baiterek tower? Is this a subtle allusion to Tuleshov expecting to eventually be “handed power”?
Further pursuing the KNB’s logic, there is an even more ominous scene with portentous geopolitical significance as the central hero is seen walking on a bridge in Moscow looking at the Kremlin. Was Tuleshov’s ultimate goal to take over Russia itself?
Hopefully, Kazakhstan’s security services will shed some light on all this.
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