“Simpsons” fans were surprised by Sunday’s episode when a familiar animated face returned to Springfield. He was Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the former owner of the Kwik-E-Mart.
Apu had not been heard in an episode in nearly a decade, after a documentary examined the effects of having a white actor’s voice for the character. This has sparked a debate, both within and outside South Asian communities, about how the entertainment industry views people of South Asian descent.
In Sunday’s episode, titled “The Revengening,” part of the series’ annual Halloween-themed “Treehouse of Horror” anthology, Apu returns to seek revenge on the residents of Springfield.
“I am Apu!” he shouts, removing a Daft Punk-inspired helmet to reveal himself.
“Did you think you could just get rid of me? That I would disappear?” » he asks the gathered residents of Springfield. “That there would be no consequences for the horrible thing you did?”
Apu was voiced in the episode by Sunil Malhotra, whose voice credits include “Star Wars: Tales of The Jedi” and “The Legend of Vox Machina”.
“When my agent called me about an audition for The Simpsons, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea made my stomach sink,” Malhotra told Variety. “But I have to admit, part of me was also curious.”
For decades, Apu was voiced by Hank Azaria, who is white, and was noted for his catchphrase “Thank you. Come back,” spoken in a cartoonish Indian accent.
In 2017, comedian Hari Kondabolu, of South Asian descent, released “The Problem With Apu,” a documentary film detailing how he and many other South Asian artists found the character offensive. He argued that Apu was emblematic of a larger problem with how South Asians were presented in Hollywood.
To his supporters, Apu was a famous immigrant to Springfield – a testament to the American dream. And besides, some have pointed out, “The Simpsons” makes fun of everyone.
To Apu’s detractors, he was a bumbling stereotype whose catchphrase was repeatedly used to mock American Indians. He hasn’t even been voiced by a South Asian in an industry that avoids giving them leading roles in film and television, they said.
Kondabolu — a longtime “Simpsons” fan — said Apu was “a white man doing an impression of a white man making fun of my father.”
Azaria immediately expressed her discomfort with playing this role.
“I think the documentary brought out some really interesting points and gave us a lot to think about,” Azaria told TMZ in late 2017, adding that he found the situation “upsetting.”
He would no longer voice the role. On the ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast in 2021, Azaria said: “Part of me feels like I need to go to every Indian in this country and apologize personally. »
The creative team behind the series reacted differently, seemingly dismissing concerns about the character. During the show’s 29th season in 2018, in an episode titled “No Good Read Goes Unpunished,” the witty Lisa Simpson turns to the camera and addresses the audience, saying, “Something that started decades ago and was applauded and harmless is now politically incorrect. What can you do?”
The photo then shifts to a framed photo of Apu.
Marge, Lisa’s mother, responds: “Some things will be taken care of later.” »
Followed by Lisa saying, “If at all.”
Apu’s return comes at a difficult time for Indian Americans, who have faced rising racism in recent years while increasing their political power.
Malhotra did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. In his interview with Variety, he described his doubts about Apu’s voice, saying he had turned down offers to voice other South Asian characters in the past when he felt they were caricatures.
“It’s been eight years since Apu last spoke on the show, and it got me thinking: Was the writers’ room different now?” Malhotra told Variety. “Could they bring him back in a way that acknowledges and apologizes for past mistakes? Could I make the character my own and reclaim him in some way?”
He added in an Instagram post: “Bringing Apu back feels like payback. It truly IS his coming home.”
Apu’s wife, Manjula, who was voiced by “Saturday Night Live” alums Jan Hooks and Tress MacNeille, also has a new actor playing her: Janina Gavankar, whose credits include “The Morning Show.”
Kondabolu, the comedian who sparked the earlier discussion about Apu, said in an email that he was “glad that The Simpsons found a clever solution to all of this and that two South Asian Americans were hired to do voice acting.”
He continued: “I also hope that this will put an end to all the hate mail in many languages that has been sent to me over the last decade.”
Gn entert
