Conan O'Brien Filmed in Bengaluru at Toit and Dodda Alada Mara for Travel Show

American comedian Conan O’Brien filmed across Bengaluru landmarks, including the brewpub Toit and the Dodda Alada Mara, for an episode of his travel-comedy series 'Conan O’Brien Must Go', which premiered on JioHotstar on August 22.

The India episode, split between Bengaluru and Mumbai, documented O’Brien exploring local culture alongside city-based talk show host Nikhil Kini. The visit originated after Kini appeared on O'Brien's podcast, where he mentioned that Toit had a photo of the comedian displayed outside its restroom and spoke about his roommate’s admiration for O’Brien.

Local line producers Anita Vachharajani and Amit Vachharajani, founder of production partner Backpack Films, revealed that several planned segments were modified during the shoot. A scheduled visit to Bengaluru's traditional harvest festival, the Kadlekai Parishe, where streets are lined with groundnuts, was called off after O'Brien had to depart early due to a personal emergency.

Kini had also pitched a sequence where O'Brien would make a dosa, but the idea was dropped because the filming schedule on that day became too chaotic to accommodate the segment.

During the Bengaluru shoot, O'Brien filmed an exaggerated mentoring session on talk-show hosting with Kini and spent time engaging with the city's pub culture. The episode combined scripted bits with unscripted encounters, which Amit Vachharajani noted was supported by months of backend preparation by the documentary crew and writers.

Between filming takes, O'Brien reviewed Kini's videos and spoke with him and his friends about managing career pressures. Kini shared that O'Brien offered advice on avoiding professional burnout, recalling how during his own early late-night career he lived in an apartment with just a single bed while pushing himself excessively.