American late-night legend and comedian Conan O'Brien has finally set foot in India, marking his highly anticipated first visit to the country. The iconic funnyman is currently filming for his popular travel series, Conan O'Brien Must Go, and is diving headfirst into the local culture with his signature hilarious style.
Conan's Indian Adventures: From Gully Cricket to Bollywood
Announcing his arrival with a playful social media post where he expressed a desire to meet all 1.46 billion Indians, Conan has since given fans a delightful glimpse into his escapades. His team, Team Coco, kicked off the visual diary by sharing a picture of the comedian fully immersed in a game of gully cricket.
The photo shows Conan dressed in pristine cricket whites, complete with a classic cable-knit sweater reminiscent of the Indian national team's attire. He is captured in action, sprinting down a narrow street with a cricket bat in hand. In his trademark absurdist humor, the caption declared, "My first day playing street cricket and I scored eleventyhundred points(??) I have no idea what happened."
A few hours later, the entertainment escalated as Team Coco dropped another behind-the-scenes snapshot. This time, Conan was seen dressed in a sparkly backup-dancer outfit, grinning for a selfie amidst a troupe of professional Bollywood dancers. He wrote, "Just filmed a Bollywood extravaganza with these gifted dancers and incredible crew. I can't wait for you to watch it on your phone." Both posts were tagged with the hashtag #ConanOBrienMustGo, promoting his HBO Max travel show.
The Long Road to Filming in India
This India episode has been a long time in the making. According to reports, Conan's trip had been delayed for years due to significant permit complications. The production's initial attempt to shoot in India back in 2018 hit a major roadblock.
Indian authorities reportedly flagged an old segment from 2004 that had been filmed in the country without official permission. As a direct consequence, the Indian consulate in San Francisco withheld the necessary filming permits and visas, effectively halting the project. The planned shoot faced repeated delays and rejections for years. After a prolonged back-and-forth, Team Coco has now successfully secured all required permissions, finally allowing the India episode to proceed.
Who is Conan O'Brien?
For the uninitiated, Conan O'Brien is one of America's most cherished comedians and talk-show hosts. His illustrious career includes helming Late Night with Conan O'Brien from 1993 to 2009, a brief stint hosting The Tonight Show in 2009-2010, and anchoring Conan on TBS from 2010 to 2021. He currently hosts the wildly popular podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend and stars in the travel series Conan O'Brien Must Go, where he explores global cultures through a lens of humor and spontaneous local interactions.
