The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy (2023) s03e07 Episode Script

1
[whimsical music plays]
I'm the living example
of "better late than never."
Until a few years ago,
my life was steady, predictable,
reassuringly repetitive.
But my recent adventures
have changed all that.
So what's next for me?
Now that I'm considered
something of a traveller,
I've challenged myself
to complete my own bucket list
before actually kicking the bucket.
I did a lot of research,
kept an open mind…
- Who's going hiking in the Amazon?
- [animals chittering]
…and came up with a list of my own.
Take a look at this.
[fireworks exploding]
- [tour guide] Welcome to London!
- [cheering]
Never felt more like a tourist.
These are some of the greatest…
[exclaims]
…once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences
you can have.
Don't take this the wrong way,
but this is a horrible ride.
[laughs]
Tick that off the bucket list.
- This is my first time in Ireland.
- Of course, I've been here before.
- Yep. Once.
- Once or twice.
- Once.
- Once.
Whether they should be
once in my lifetime…
- [crowd cheering]
- Oh!
…is another matter.
Whoo-hoo!
- But I'd like to think…
- Whoa!
…I've gotten a little bit bolder…
It's hard to believe I'm actually here.
…a little bit braver…
What a save!
Course I work well under pressure.
…so this could be
my most memorable trip yet.
Was getting drunk with Prince William
on your bucket list?
- That's the bucket.
- [chuckles] That's the bucket, is it?
[chuckling]
[Indian folk music plays]
[horns honking]
[Levy] I've never
experienced anything quite like this.
India's always been on a bucket list
for, you know,
any kind of seasoned traveller.
I know a lot of people
who have come to India and say
that you've gotta…
you've gotta put that on your bucket list.
And that's why,
despite being partial to my own company,
I've listened to those people and come
to the most populated country on Earth.
If this was a movie set,
somebody would be saying,
"Okay, you know what, too much commotion.
We gotta cut it back.
It's gotta be more real."
I've travelled more than 7,000 miles
to the biggest state in India,
Rajasthan.
Also known as the Land of Kings,
it's celebrated for its painted cities,
ancient forts and bustling markets,
making it a must-see
for first-timers like me.
It's hard to believe I'm actually here.
My journey starts in Jodhpur.
A city that's over 500 years old.
- Hey!
- Abish.
Eugene. Welcome to India.
- How are you doing?
- How are you?
- I am good.
- So nice to see you.
Abish is my local guide here.
And just the man to help me
make sense of my new surroundings.
- How was your walk?
- Brought new meaning to the word "crowd."
Yes. [laughs]
India is not comfortable
but then you get comfortable with it.
And when you go back, you have
a very different perspective of the world.
It's not comfortable,
- but you get comfortable with it.
- Yeah.
All right, this is kind of what I thought
would probably have to happen.
The reason I was like this might be
a good place for you to start off
is throw you in the deep end
and ask you to learn how to swim.
[laughs]
[joyful music playing]
Over the past five centuries,
this city grew up around a landmark
that's pretty hard to miss.
That is the Mehrangarh Fort of Jodhpur.
Built in 1459.
- Oh, my God. It's massive!
- Yeah.
It's still owned by the royal family.
[Levy] Sitting 400 feet above the city,
its name means "Fort of the Sun."
Which is pretty apt
considering it's right next to a desert.
- I can show you the market if you want?
- Yeah.
[Abish] This entire market that's right
under Mehrangarh Fort
is the Sardar Market.
- All right, yeah.
- You get everything there.
- Do you wanna check it out?
- Let's take a look.
This is like a sensory overload
of colours, of spice, of people, of faces.
Every point's a slight bit of negotiation
and excitement, you would learn so much.
[Levy] I would say this is definitely
more colourful than Canada.
[Abish] It is. It is.
If there's one thing Jodhpur is known for,
what would that be?
Um, I'd say textiles.
Take a look at this.
These are all the kind of textiles
specifically to Rajasthan,
the state we're in.
The colour you encounter here
is much more vivid
than in any kind of pictures
that I've seen.
When you're on the street encountering it,
it kind of explodes.
And it's not just the colours here
that pack a punch.
[Abish] This is cumin.
[speaking Hindi]
[seller] This is… [stammers] …rice.
- Cumin rice.
- Yeah, cumin.
- Mint tea.
- Smell slowly.
Now, this, slowly smell it.
[Abish] Whoa! [stammers] What is it?
- It's like, uh, VapoRub. It's…
- [laughs]
It's what you put on your chest
when you get a cold.
- [seller] This is good for digestion…
- Oh, yeah.
- …immunity, and the whole body relax.
- Yeah.
There's a lot to take in
down here at street level.
So to really get a sense of this city,
Abish wants to take me
to his favourite viewpoint.
We're gonna be taking an auto-rickshaw.
Try to relax.
- Try to relax?
- Yeah. That's the key.
[adventurous music playing]
[Levy] A mix between a New York taxi
and a tricycle,
these rickshaws make roughly 200 million
trips around the country every day.
- [Abish] Couple of pro tips for you.
- [Levy] Yeah.
Number one, always hold the railing,
- right leg or left leg on this.
- Yeah.
And every now and then
that you get a bump,
put your hands down and engage your core.
[grunts] A little bit of an up and down.
[Levy] All right.
Who is our driver?
- Oh, it's Bablu. Bablu Ji, namaste.
- [Levy] Bablu.
- Namaste.
- [Abish] Namaste. How are you?
- [Levy] Wow!
- Whoa, that was close.
[Levy] Almost hit that woman.
Don't take this the wrong way, Bablu,
you're an excellent driver,
but this is a horrible ride.
[laughs]
[Abish] Across on the streets,
you'll see a lot of animals as well.
Cows are very revered
in this part of the country.
Like in Toronto,
- pedestrians have rights to cross first.
- Yeah.
Here, animals have rights to cross first.
[Levy] So, where do they go?
They roam the streets
and then they go back.
- Yeah, look at them.
- Oh, they're…
They go back to their homes.
[Levy] Cows are considered sacred
in Hinduism, India's biggest religion.
And despite the oncoming traffic,
they appear to be way more relaxed
than me.
- [Abish] Okay, that was the worst part.
- Yeah.
I'm getting the hang of it.
- [Abish] Whoo! Thank you, sir.
- [Levy] Yeah.
The last person to rattle my bones
like that was my chiropractor.
We're here.
But we've made it to the old town.
This colourful maze of winding streets
is the reason that Jodhpur
is also known as the blue city.
- That's the fort I was telling you about.
- Wow, yeah.
So, why the blue?
[Abish]
Blue keeps the temperature really cool.
This is the desert, after all.
The blue is also to kind of signify that
a priestly community called the Brahmins,
they used to live
in this part of the town.
- Also one of the best spots…
- Wow.
…in the city to get this.
I would imagine. Unless you're up
at the, uh, palace, you know?
- Which is… I don't know.
- Okay, you got me there.
Hey, this is all
that I could afford, okay?
- [laughs]
- I'm not royalty to get you up here.
Have you seen something like this?
[Levy] I have never seen a city in colour,
uh, like this.
And Jodhpur is so much bigger a city
than I actually thought it was.
I wasn't expecting a blue city.
But I can see, and feel,
why it was the colour of choice.
Summer temperatures here
regularly top 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
so I'm heading to my hotel to cool off.
I've been here half a day, really,
you know?
And I'm just having a hell of a time.
I'm looking so forward to
getting to experience what the culture,
what the people,
and what life is like here.
And it seems that
for the old kings of India, the Maharajas,
life was pretty good.
I mean, just take a look at
where I'm staying.
The Bal Samand Lake Palace.
Overlooking one of India's first
man-made lakes, carved out of solid rock.
The palace itself was built by the
Maharaja of Jodhpur in the 17th century.
- Hello. Thank you.
- Welcome, sir.
We have set some traditional welcome
for you. Please come.
[Levy] By the looks of the welcome party,
I think they were expecting someone
a bit more royal than me.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Most welcome.
- [manager] Hello, Mr. Eugene.
- Hi.
So, this is the Bal Samand Lake Palace.
This was the summer palace
of the royal family of Jodhpur.
And now they have converted this place
to be a hotel.
- This is really nice.
- Yes.
I know when I was driving up,
I didn't know if this was a mirage.
Just beware of the monkeys.
We have some lot of monkeys here.
- They are not harmful, but, uh…
- Mm-hmm.
…just beware of the monkeys.
- [stammers] Don't get too close.
- Yes. Yes.
- Okay.
- Have a nice stay with us.
- Thank you, thank you.
- Thank you.
After being converted from
a royal residence into a luxury hotel,
the palace's doors and gardens
have been open to guests
hoping to escape the desert heat in style.
I gotta say, I'm enjoying this space,
I'm enjoying the quiet.
It's kind of right now a little surreal.
No more calls, we have some monkeys.
Wow, cute. Hi, kids!
My Indian adventure
is off to a grand start.
And my evening plans
aren't too shabby either.
Abish has invited me to a party
with some well-to-do friends of his.
That's if I can get past
the local security guard.
[traditional music playing]
- Eugene!
- [Levy] Abish.
- [chuckles]
- You're all dressed up to go dancing.
You look great as well.
Let me make you meet my friends.
- [Levy] Yeah.
- Ajit…
Cousins Uday and Ajit
are part of Rajasthan nobility.
Wow, this is great.
Now, whose place is this?
- It's his place.
- His place.
[Levy] Which probably explains
this impressive party.
So, how long have you lived here, Uday?
Uh, I've grown up here.
But my family's presence has been here
for the last 600 years.
And, when I say 600 years, I think
I'd be the 18th or 19th generation.
What did your family do?
The family owed its allegiance
to the Maharaja of Jodhpur.
Our great grandfather and his parents,
they collected taxes for the Maharaja.
[Levy] Noble privileges were abolished
in the 1970s
but many families
continue their traditions.
Which in this case,
means one heck of a celebration
for the fresh-faced guest of honour.
- This is the guest of honour.
- The guest of honour?
- Yeah, that's he, him.
- This is the guest of honour?
Tonight is all about formally welcoming
little Rudra Veer to Jodhpur.
This is his first trip here,
which is the ancestral home.
So, that's why
it's a very important homecoming.
- That's a big one! So, he…
- It is a big one.
- [Rudra coos]
- Yeah.
- [family laughs]
- I totally get it, I totally get it.
[speaks indistinctly]
Look at you. What a big boy!
Do you have grandchildren?
Yes, I have one grandson
who's turning three.
Oh, wow.
And it wasn't that long ago
I was holding him…
- Yes, you look like a natural.
- …just like this.
Would anybody mind
if I take him home with me?
[family laughs]
[chuckling] Mr. big boy.
I'm not sure RV will remember this party,
but in a selfish kind of way,
I hope he remembers me,
as we toast his good fortune.
Very nice.
India's noble families
aren't the only ones living well.
India is the world's
fastest growing economy,
with over 30,000 new millionaires
added last year alone.
And, one day in,
I feel like I'm getting a glimpse
into just how varied life is here.
Tell me about Rajasthan.
Does it have
its own distinctive personality?
So, you break the word Rajasthan,
it means "Place of Kings".
It had its own army, it's own currency,
its own judicial system.
As you move in India,
the culture changes, from state to state.
And, uh, you know,
to give you an idea how diverse it is,
you know, when you move,
you have a different dialect.
100 kilometres in each direction,
food changes, people change,
language changes.
So, it's almost like a nation
within multiple nations.
[Levy] Some estimates put the number of
dialects here at almost 20,000.
If anything, is there one thing
that binds the country together?
What is very special about India,
constitutionally,
is, uh, the secularism of India.
The majority religion
in the country is Hinduism.
- Hindu? Yeah.
- Yes, Hindus.
And, yet, we still have
a very large Muslim population,
we have a very large Christian population,
we have Jews, we have everyone.
- But cricket is the dominant religion.
- [Levy] Really?
Each state has its own team, you know?
And you belong to the state,
you support your team completely.
It's a religion.
[Indian folk music plays]
[Levy] Cricket is unfamiliar territory
for me,
but that's been
the story of this trip so far.
That was amazing.
And, after an evening
at the hottest house party in town,
I'm ready to explore more of this city
tomorrow.
- Wow.
- [Abish] Thank you.
- [Indian folk music plays]
- [birds chirping]
I had a great sleep last night.
Hear this?
[birds chirping]
Birds chirping.
That's… That's all I heard.
And it was music to my ears.
[upbeat music playing]
When it came to luxury, India's Maharajas
knew what they were doing.
But this morning, I'm swapping the green
of the palace gardens
for the blue of Jodhpur's old town.
- Abish. How are you?
- [Abish] I am good.
[Levy] This is the most quiet
I've heard this city.
- [Abish] This country is beautiful…
- Wow.
…'cause you find moments of, like,
calm in, like, extreme hectic places.
[bell ringing]
[whispering] Oh, that's a pandit,
that's like a priest.
- [priest chanting]
- That is pandit.
[Levy] About 1.1 billion people in India
are Hindu.
[Abish] That is Ganesh Ji.
Ganesh is the god that you pray to
when you start on, like, a new endeavour
or, like, a new adventure.
[Levy] Which is why you'll find local
shrines like this all over the country.
Giving people a chance to connect
with their spirituality on the fly.
I'm gonna ask the priest, if you're
comfortable with it, for a small blessing.
Sure, that would be very nice.
[speaking Hindi]
Yeah, you'll have to just sit down,
but you'll have to take the shoes off,
if that's all right?
- Shoes off and sit down?
- Shoes off and sit down.
- All right, I can do that.
- There you go.
[priest speaking Hindi]
[Abish] This is the prasada,
which is the blessing that you take back.
Oh, there's another thing!
This, uh, coconut needs to be broken.
What is the significance
of breaking the coconut?
The water that comes out of it is used
as blessing to be sprinkled back on you.
- I see. All right, so you, uh…
- [Abish] Okay.
One, two, three…
- [pandit chanting in Hindi]
- [exclaims]
You've been blessed, you broke a coconut,
you've got prasada to eat.
- [Levy] Wow.
- No obstacles in your way.
- How do you say, "Thank you" in India?
- Dhanyavaad. Dhanyavaad.
Dhanyavaad, dhanyavaad.
- Was that good?
- [speaking Hindi]
- [Abish] Oh, okay.
- What'd they say?
There's an error. You need to make sure
it comes all the way down.
You just released it and you threw it.
- You take what you can get, I guess.
- [laughing] Yeah.
[Indian folk music plays]
I think to get a blessing, to get rid
of all the obstacles that are ahead of me.
I… You know, I think it's a good thing.
- [Abish] Look at that.
- [Levy] Wow, what's this?
[Abish] So this is a form of cricket
called gully cricket.
Gully means an alleyway.
[Levy] Oh.
Back in the 18th century,
when India was part of the British Empire
and a major source of trade,
British sailors introduced locals
to the game.
- That gentleman is the bowler.
- Yeah.
Whoa! Good catch!
- That's good.
- There you go.
- I mean… [laughing]
- That's hard.
This is a good place to be actually.
You know, right now, this…
Oh, that's so funny.
[kids clamouring]
[Levy] India gained its independence
in 1947,
but cricket was here to stay.
The last game of the season
was watched by 169 million people.
[Abish] Whoa!
That is a sixer.
[Levy] That's 41 million more
than the last Super Bowl.
This is how you show it.
- Whoa!
- Wow, that's a six.
What is that?
What's the sign for it? Well done.
One of the biggest teams in the state
you're in is called the Rajasthan Royals.
- The Rajasthan Royals?
- Yes.
[yells]
[Levy] Like kids playing street hockey
back home,
these local games are where dreams
of becoming a sporting superstar
take hold.
- [Levy] Kids, I'm watching you guys…
- Hi.
…and you're really, really, really good.
Anybody here want to be
a professional cricket player?
I want to be.
This is good.
Any budding actors in the group?
[Abish speaks Hindi]
- [kid] No.
- Wow, everybody wants to be a cricketer.
Uh-huh. Well, not necessarily a cricketer
but anything but acting
is what I'm getting.
Well, let's play. Let it rip.
Spin.
- Whoa!
- [kids groan]
There was apparently some spin on the ball
and made it kinda difficult to hit.
[Abish] Oh, that's good. Run.
There might be a bit more to it
than I would have thought.
- [kids cheering]
- [Levy groans]
- Out.
- [Levy] Out?
I gotta say I lost out to…
to a better man.
- [cheers]
- [kids cheer]
[Levy] I'm feeling a little red-faced,
only this time I can't blame the sun.
So I'm heading back to my hotel
for a little R & R.
Before embarking on the next leg
of my Indian adventure.
[Levy sighs]
[sighs]
- Hi.
- G'day.
Australia?
Kiwis.
- [both] New Zealanders.
- [Levy] New Zealand?
Fellow first-timers?
No, been here seven times.
- Seven times?
- [guest 1] Yeah.
So can I ask the very first time you came,
the very first time,
did you love it as soon as you got here?
For me, it was a sense of coming home.
We don't know what's happening
in the next five minutes.
We have no plan every day.
[guest 1] We don't know where
we're staying.
[guest 2] And that's part of the magic.
And that's why we're now on our seventh.
This is what I'm here to try and achieve.
I mean, honestly, to experience India
the way a seasoned traveller would. And…
[guest 2] Stretch that comfort zone
a little bit?
Stretch the comfort zone is…
which is what I'm trying to do.
Have you got many plans
or are you just winging it?
I'm taking the train.
- Ooh, we haven't done that.
- Okay!
- You haven't done that?
- Nah.
We haven't gone on
any public transport. [laughs]
Well, where have you been?
You're braver than us.
Can't come to India
without taking the train.
Take some risks today, right?
Take some risks today.
- That's my middle name. Risk taker.
- [guest 2 laughs]
[birds chirping]
[uplifting music playing]
[Levy] What was interesting this morning,
the couple saying,
you know, stretch your comfort zone
and taking risks…
It's easier to say
than it actually is to do,
but I'm trying my damnedest to do that.
And, to be honest, I can't think of
a better way to stretch my comfort zone…
We're here.
…than catching a train to Jaipur.
This state's capital city
and home of one of its most popular
cricket teams, the Rajasthan Royals.
I'm looking for the Jodhpur-Jaipur Express
which is leaving at four o'clock.
So I have to find the platform.
Yeah, means nothing to me.
[announcements, indistinct]
[Levy] Jodhpur Station was opened in 1885
and serves nearly 50,000 people every day.
Yeah, there it is, four o'clock.
Got it, platform five.
We're off.
It's amazing what you can do
when you put your mind to something.
This is the closest I've come
to actually feeling like a traveller.
Most trains here
give you the option to stand, sit,
or put your feet up on a fold down bed.
Excuse me.
Abish has reserved us a spot.
Though to find him,
I'll have to rely on my uncanny intuition…
Carriage 2AC…
Haven't found it yet.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
This can't be right.
Do you speak English?
- [passenger] Yeah.
- Carriage 2AC?
- [passenger] Go straight.
- Go straight.
- [passenger] Mmm.
- Okay.
Thank you. Thank you.
Hey.
- Abish.
- Good to see you.
[Levy] Glad you're here.
After tracking down Abish,
I'm looking forward to taking in the view
from the comfort of our sleeper cabin.
[Levy] I'm excited.
At the age of 78, I'm growing up.
[train whistle blows]
[Levy] Jaipur here we come.
[upbeat music playing]
To reach Jaipur, we need to travel
nearly 200 miles east across Rajasthan.
This right here,
is how you really see the country.
[Abish] Whether you're rich, whether
you're poor, everybody gets on the train.
Friendships are made,
romantic comedies are started,
family rivalries go through,
so like this is quite integral
to all of our upbringing.
When you think about the fact
this country has 1.4 billion people,
there's so much difference.
After we won the independence,
and the borders were drawn,
there was this idea
that everyone came up with.
We are not taught that we are one nation.
We have been told that unity and diversity
is what we are taught in school
from the very beginning.
So it is in a way high contrast,
high contradiction,
major differences.
And I don't know how,
but a national identity
still stays strong.
[Indian folk music plays]
[Levy] I've been a fan of train journeys
since I was a kid.
And one of the best things about them is
that you can get up and nose around.
- [cheers]
- [cheers] Finally!
Royals fans?
- [fan 1] Yes.
- Yes.
- That's… So am I.
- [laughs]
- [fan 2] Please.
- [fan 1] Oh, yeah.
[Levy] Turns out, the Rajasthan Royals
have a game tonight.
And their dedicated fans will watch them
play from pretty much anywhere.
Have you ever been to a Royals game?
Yeah, we watched, uh, a match.
What do I need to know?
Halla Bol. That's it. [laughs]
- [fan 2] Yeah, that's…
- Halla Bol?
Yeah. Halla Bol
is like you're cheering it.
- Uh, and that's the motto of…
- All right.
- Of Rajasthan Royals.
- Halla Bol is a cheer?
[fan 1] Yeah, from Rajasthan Royals.
- Halla. Shout out loud. Yeah.
- Halla Bol. Yeah. Okay. All right.
Well, pleasure meeting you both.
- [fan 2] So nice hanging out with you.
- [fan 1] Hope you have a nice time.
- Good luck to you both.
- Thank you.
[uplifting music playing]
[Levy] You don't often get
an open door on a train
but it's kind of nice,
get a little fresh air.
Anybody that knows me would be saying,
"I can't believe you're there."
Because…
you know, it's a country I never honestly
thought I would ever get to.
It's taken three years
to get me to this point
and so far it's been amazing,
a lot of fun.
[uplifting music continues]
Five hours and one Halla Bol later,
we've finally arrived in Jaipur.
- We made it.
- Well, we're here.
- We made it.
- [Levy] Which way?
[Abish] That should be the exit.
[Levy] And once I've found somewhere
to recharge my batteries,
I can't wait to see what this iconic city
looks like in the daylight.
[Indian folk music plays]
[Levy] Jaipur.
At almost 300 years old,
it's a relatively young city
by India's standards.
Now named as a UNESCO World Heritage site,
it's also considered
the gemstone hub of the world.
- [Abish] Hey.
- Abish.
- Welcome.
- Slept like a baby.
[horns honking]
I'm looking forward to getting
a sense of the place for myself,
and Abish has agreed to give me
a whistle-stop tour.
That statue over there
that's of Mahatma Gandhi.
[Levy] Oh, there it is.
[Abish] Known as the father of the nation.
Also very popular for round glasses,
much like yourself.
- [laughs]
- [Abish] Those are…
Those are Gandhi's glasses.
Those are Gandhi's glasses.
[Levy laughs]
Rajasthan has this interesting tradition
where each city does their own colour.
Jodhpur was blue, Udaipur is white,
Jaisalmer is the gold city
and Jaipur is pink.
[Levy] When the British royals visited
here in 1876,
the locals put on quite the show.
When Prince Albert had come to Jaipur,
they had painted the entire city
in this colour
because it's the colour
of hospitality, welcoming.
So when he came in, he saw the colour
and he said, "Wow, pink city!"
And then the name stuck.
Well, that kept the painters happy
I guess back then, didn't it?
- [laughs] It did.
- [laughs]
At the city's heart is the Hawa Mahal
or Palace of the Winds.
Built in 1799, it's a five storey
architectural masterpiece.
There are a lot of very stunning things
to look at here.
I'd be happy to spend all day
looking around the city
but I've got an important appointment
to keep.
It's beautiful.
Abish has set up a meeting for me
with the Rajasthan Royals.
Presumably to get some tips after
getting struck out by a ten-year-old.
[Abish] Eugene, if I was in your place,
I would be so damn excited.
I think I've prepped you enough.
What does this mean?
Six.
[Abish] Yeah, absolutely right.
[Levy] So very excited.
Am I gonna see you later or…
Yeah, of course.
[upbeat music playing]
[Levy] The Sawai Mansingh Stadium
is the team's home ground.
Wow. It's really something, isn't it?
It's my first cricket stadium.
And with over 15 million followers
on social media,
the Royals are a pretty big deal.
Halla Bol, my friend. Halla Bol.
So it's the perfect place for this rookie
to brush up on the basics.
- How are you?
- I am good.
Welcome to the Royals' home…
- Thank you.
- …in Jaipur.
[Levy] Yaggi is a former player here and
now puts the fielders through their paces.
I know you are 78,
but you looking like 50.
- Oh!
- You're looking young.
- You're looking young.
- Wow.
So can we start with the activation first?
- [Levy] Sure.
- [Yaggi] Okay.
This is for your hammies and the back.
- Yes, I'm… I'm feeling the hammies…
- Three…
- …and the back.
- …four.
So now the most important thing…
- Yeah.
- The throwing one. So you stay here,
hold it and throw.
Two, three.
- I think you're ready.
- Oh, boy!
I think you're ready for the fielding now.
Yeah, but I'm a lefty.
Oh! [laughs]
[Levy] Yaggi's clearly
got his work cut out.
And a convoy of coaches, pink, of course,
means the players have arrived
for their own training session.
Eugene, I want to introduce one
of our fastest bowler,
Jofra Archer.
He is one of the fastest in the world.
[Levy] Something tells me I should have
spent a little more time warming up.
- Nice to meet you.
- Wow, nice to meet you.
- Wanna come and play some cricket?
- [Levy] Yeah.
Well, I'm gonna let you go in for a bit.
Does it matter to you
whether somebody is a lefty?
Actually, I prefer bowling
at left-handers.
I've got better stats against left-handers
than right-handers.
Well, that's not gonna do me
much good, is it?
[chuckles]
[Levy] Jofra also plays for England.
And with them he won cricket's
greatest accolade: the World Cup in 2019.
Give me an idea of what to expect.
[grunts]
Oh, that's all right.
I gotta let you get some confidence first
before I really turn it up.
[Levy] When it really matters,
he can bowl a ball over 90 miles an hour.
- [Jofra groans]
- [Levy] One more, that was close.
But for now, he's going at my kinda speed.
[grunts]
[groans] No, you gotta use the bat!
- You need to hit it.
- This is heavy.
No pressure.
[groans]
- Was that good?
- Yeah, very good. Very good.
I've got to go back to training now,
Eugene, but it was lovely to meet you.
And I'll catch you
before we leave the ground today.
- Oh, great. Great.
- All right.
[Levy] While Jofra gets in
some real training,
it's my chance to meet head coach,
Rahul Dravid.
Basically cricket's answer to Babe Ruth.
I hope he did not see my batting.
Because, you know,
it's not really that impressive.
In fact, I'm hoping
nobody sees my batting.
- Rahul.
- Hey, Eugene.
[both] How are you?
Rahul is regarded as
one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
And a fully fledged national hero.
Did you see me out there?
- Yeah. I saw you're pretty good, yeah?
- Yeah, me and Jofra.
Are you… It's easy to take him on?
Well, you know,
I don't know if you noticed,
I did get a hit…
Not many people can claim
to have done that, so…
I was gonna say, you know,
it's not that he needs more work, but, uh…
if I can get a hit off him,
you may want to keep him after practice.
[laughs]
Yeah. I hope you've got some understanding
of what is a beautiful game
in this country.
[Levy] Yeah. Now I can honestly say,
in terms of cricket, this is my team.
Absolutely, we've got
one more supporter, one more fan.
I'm just picking up sports teams
every which way.
In Spain I've got Real Betis.
Uh, Aston Villa in England, of course.
And, of course, the Royals here.
I'm just… I'm getting quite global
in my fandom.
Eugene, now that you're a Rajasthan Royals
fan we've got a special T-shirt for you.
Hopefully you'll wear it with pride
watching our games.
Oh, yeah! Look at this.
Quite the memento to remember
my visit here.
And as I take it all in from the stands,
I'm reminded again of the kids
I played gully cricket with.
And their dreams of playing
for a team like this.
How do you do, Eugene? I'm Kumar.
Kumar.
After captaining the Sri Lankan
national team
and coaching the Royals,
Kumar Sangakkara is now
their Director of Cricket.
What do you think it is about cricket
that has played to everyone
across this country?
It's a sport that's come out
of British colonialism in India.
We managed to take it and make it our own.
So India will have its own
really Indian brand of cricket.
And it's just united people
across demographics
of age, religion, ethnicity, and politics
since we got our independence.
And it serves a much larger purpose
at times than just what you see here.
[Levy] It's pretty amazing. I don't know
if that really applies to any other sport
where it's that unifying.
You'll find that wherever you go in India,
cricket is part of its soul.
[uplifting music playing]
[Levy] The importance of cricket isn't
something I knew about before coming here.
And I've got to say, it's not the first
time I've been bowled over on this trip.
Welcome. How was it?
Well, you know,
you'll be thrilled to know
I had a great time.
I gotta hit off Jofra
- and my body got a hit off him as well.
- [laughs]
Are you glad that you came to India?
I am glad that I came.
You said the other day,
it's not comfortable
but you get comfortable with it.
Which, you know,
I thought was kind of spot on.
- You're 78…
- Yeah.
I'm 38. We've got generations between us.
You took a trip all the way to India…
Kudos to you, but I don't know what…
I mean, I don't know, it's inspiring.
[Levy] I've realised how the fast pace
of life here
sits alongside unexpected moments
of serenity and spirituality.
And I'll be returning home
having made a new friend in Abish.
It's been a fun hang with you.
That was truly… six.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Six!
- Yeah!
- Yes, sir.
- [laughs]
[Levy] So now I've got just one adventure
left on my bucket list
and this last one is happening
much closer to home.
Take a look at this. Vancouver, Canada.
We're here in my own backyard.
- Next on my bucket list…
- Whoo-hoo!
Eugene Levy.
Michael Bublé.
- Hey. I'm really nervous.
- Ha!
Yeah, that was fun.
- That can't hurt you. No.
- It can't hurt you?
- [screams]
- [laughs]