BTS of American comedian Conan O'Brien's Bengaluru visit for 'Conan O'Brien Must Go'

Conan O' Brien walks into a bar. And a giant peanut beats up his doctor!

Key points

• Months before the episode premiered, photographs of O'Brien filming at Toit and the Dodda Alada Mara taken by others as well as posted by himself, gained online attention.
• The show has a mix of pre-planned comedy bits but makes it a point to allow room for spontaneity, something O'Brien especially shines at, notes Amit.
• O'Brien and his team were so excited regarding the idea of a festival centred around peanuts.
• But sadly, it couldn't happen since it felt too chaotic to add on that day.
• I was able to show him some of my videos.

Conan O' Brien walks into a bar. And a giant peanut beats up his doctor! We promise, this is not us attempting comedy, just the truth of the unhinged shenanigans that unfolded in Bengaluru when the American comedian paid a visit to the city for an episode of his travel-comedy show Conan O'Brien Must Go. Months before the episode premiered, photographs of O'Brien filming at Toit and the Dodda Alada Mara taken by others as well as posted by himself, gained online attention. What viewers eventually saw on screen was only a slice of what had been planned for his visit. Having premiered on August 22 on JioHotstar, the show took fans on a journey of Mumbai and Bengaluru through O'Brien's eyes as he filmed a Bollywood music video, learned to obtain on a crowded local train (only to be immediately heckled) and rolled with all the punches India threw at him with a grin and sharp response.

What fans may be surprised to learn though, is that the city's iconic festival, the Kadlekai Parishe, where streets are lined with heaps of groundnuts to celebrate the harvest, almost produced it in. "O'Brien and his team were so excited regarding the idea of a festival centred around peanuts. We had set up a visit to the Kadalekai Parishe and some other pieces. It couldn't happen since O'Brien had to leave due to a personal emergency, " shares Anita Vachharajani, who was one of the India line producers on the show along with Amit Vachharajani, the founder of Backpack Films, local partner for the show.

Nikhil Kini, a city-based talk show host who appeared on the show, shares another near-miss moment, saying, "I pitched a bunch of things, but my top priority was that he should create a dosa. But sadly, it couldn't happen since it felt too chaotic to add on that day. I still feel Conan making a dosa would have broken the internet!" It was Kini's appearance on O'Brien's podcast last year, where he spoke regarding Toit having a picture of the comedian outside their restroom and his roommate's love for O'Brien, that became a catalyst for his visit.

Meanwhile, the show has a mix of pre-planned comedy bits but makes it a point to allow room for spontaneity, something O'Brien especially shines at, notes Amit. This person has filmed with the likes of Eugene Levy and Stephen Fry among others, "Having worked on factual content demonstrates for numerous years now, we are particularly aware that there is always 'documentary gold' waiting around every corner in India. Of course the fact that Conan is so good at extracting humour from any ordinary situation adds to it. For example, the 'fake-a** liberal media' comment someone created on the Mumbai train was unexpected and how Conan responded was hilarious. One can't script such golden moments, they just happen. Meanwhile, a documentary film crew is always prepared to capture such surprise encounters. As producers, without setting up the back-end meticulously, this magic cannot happen quite so seamlessly." Anita adds, "His writers and his team worked and worked on the show for months. And once they landed, the writers and Conan still worked together as they filmed, organically creating more material as they interacted with each other, the place and the individuals there, riffing off each other. There was a lot of improv energy."

While a section of the show focuses on O'Brien giving Kini an exaggerated mentoring session on hosting talk demonstrates, the two, along with Kini's friends did secure some time in between shots to have a genuine conversation. "I was able to show him some of my videos. As kind in person as he seems on screen, it was just insane to see him watch them, his eyes lit up and he called his producer and remarked, "Look at what these guys are making!" He was highly present and like I suspected. We obtained to show him what Bengaluru's social culture, the pub culture is and he demonstrated us we can go a long way by just working hard and being kind." He adds, "Something meaningful to hear from him was how significant it is to take care of yourself and not burn out in this industry – two years into his late show gig and earning a good sum of capital, he lived in an apartment with a single bed and no furniture. For a massive part of his early career he was happy doing what he was destined to do but additionally beating himself up regarding it and pushing himself beyond what's healthy."

Taken together, the developments around BTS of American comedian Conan O' Brien' s Bengaluru visit for ' Conan O' Brien Must point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.