Apu speaks on ‘The Simpsons’ for first time in nearly a decade

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Apu is back on The Simpsons, ending a near decade-long absence from speaking roles after a controversy over the character’s portrayal led producers to sideline him.

Hank Azaria had voiced the character for close to 30 years, but he stepped aside in 2020 after the 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu accused the character of igniting a backlash against South Asians.

Filmmaker Hari Kondabolu shared interviews with various Indian celebrities, who spoke about how they were bullied because of the stereotypical depiction of Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

The character returned to a speaking role Sunday night in an episode titled The Revengening.

According to USA Today, the episode featured Apu in a dream sequence inspired by I Know What You Did Last Summer and served as a meta-commentary on how the character was pushed into the background following the backlash over Kondabolu’s documentary.

“I am the man you left for dead,” Apu says at one point. “I am the shame you tried to bury. I am the one you pretended never existed!”

The episode ends with Homer assuring Apu that Springfield will never forget about him.

Veteran voice actor Sunil Malhotra is now voicing Apu and said in an Instagram post that taking on the part felt “like a reclamation.”

In a statement shared with Variety and Deadline, Malhotra said that initially the idea of playing Apu made his “stomach sink.” But he came around to the idea after speaking with showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos.

“It had been eight years since Apu had spoken on the show, and it got me thinking. Did the writers’ room look different now? Could they bring him back in a way that acknowledged and apologized for past mistakes? Could I make the character my own and reclaim him in some way? And could they achieve all of that in an unmistakably Simpsons way that didn’t disappoint fans?” he said.

Malhotra said he wouldn’t have agreed to revive Apu if he didn’t think the show’s producers were being respectful.

“My callback was the first of many times that no one at The Simpsons let me down,” he said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the sweetest part of all was unleashing that righteously rage-fueled ‘I AM APU!’ — on behalf of so many of us — over and over in the studio until we got it just right. I really feel like we did and I can’t wait for fans to see more Apu.”

Selman said Apu will be regularly featured on the show going forward. “We love this character and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve,” he said in a statement. “We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”

Fans cheered the return of Apu on social media, with one person writing, “Apu is back, thank you Simpsons.”

“Apu reveal is the greatest thing to happen on The Simpsons in a long time. I missed that genius character!” another person added.

Azaria issued an apology in 2021

After Kondabolu’s documentary, Apu was occasionally seen in Springfield, but never heard.

Lisa addressed the drama directly with viewers in a 2018 episode, saying: “Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?”

Simpsons creator Matt Groening was also unmoved when asked about the fallout by USA Today.

“I’m proud of what we do on the show. And I think it’s a time in our culture where people love to pretend they’re offended,” he said of the Apu blowback.

But in 2020, producers announced that all characters of colour would be voiced by minority actors. Groening spoke about the recasting in a conversation with the BBC the following year, telling the network, “times change.”

“I actually didn’t have a problem with the way we were doing it. All of our actors play dozens of characters each; it was never designed to exclude anyone,” Groening said at the time.

He also told USA Today that it “was not my idea” to replace white actors, “but I’m fine with it. Who can be against diversity? So it’s great.”

In 2021, Azaria told Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast that Apu was created with good intentions but admitted there were real negative consequences to his portrayal.

He also spoke about how he slowly came to realize that Apu was one of the only representations of Indian people in pop culture.

“If that were the only representation of my people in American pop culture,” he said, “I don’t think I would’ve been crazy about that.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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