After nearly nine years of silence, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is finally speaking again on "The Simpsons."
But before the Indian convenience store clerk could return to Springfield, the show's writers apparently had some apologizing to do.
'When my agent called me about a "Simpsons" audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink.'
Thank you, come again
Sunday night's episode, "The Revengening," brought back the once-popular character with a new voice actor, Sunil Malhotra, and a storyline that doubles as an apology for the way the show handled the controversy that drove Apu off the air in 2017.
In the episode, Apu returns to Springfield seeking revenge on the townspeople who abandoned him. He tells them he has spent years on the "island of forgotten garbage," where he encountered another discarded Springfield resident, Dr. Nick Riviera.
"I am the man you left for dead," Apu declares. "I am the one you pretended never existed!"
In a clever bit of self-mockery, the writers have Springfield's residents parrot what sounds like their own years of agonized internal debate over Apu.
Marge — "clearly serving as a mouthpiece for the show's producers," Variety notes — is first to respond: "Apu, we're so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing."
Bart admits they were scared and didn't know what to do. Lenny says there were "many internal conversations about it," while Carl concedes that those conversations "kind of just didn't go anywhere."
Homer eventually joins the chorus of apologies, recalling Apu's many contributions to Springfield and admitting that he took his old friend for granted.
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No 'Kwik' fix
Apu had been a fixture on "The Simpsons" since its first season, running the Kwik-E-Mart, shamelessly gouging customers, and occasionally enjoying adventures beyond the convenience store — including a stint in Homer's Beatles-inspired barbershop quartet, the Be Sharps.
He was also at the center of a controversy that erupted following comedian Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary, "The Problem with Apu."
The film argued that Apu's exaggerated Indian accent and stereotypical portrayal had helped perpetuate unflattering assumptions about Indian-Americans. Kondabolu was particularly critical of the fact that Apu was voiced by Hank Azaria, a white actor.
But not all Indian-Americans agreed that Apu was a problem. In a 2018 Washington Post essay, Indian-American writer Amar Shah explained that he saw his own father, who had operated convenience stores and gas stations, reflected in the character. Although Shah acknowledged being irritated by Apu jokes as a child, he eventually came to appreciate the similarities between Apu and his hardworking, entrepreneurial father.
"Does he offend me? No, because some part of him is real," Shah wrote.
When Shah asked his father what he thought of Apu, the older man had a less philosophical response: "Who? I don't know who that is. I have an inspection to worry about."
Indian comedian Kunaal Roy Kapur was similarly untroubled by the character's exaggerated accent. In a 2016 NPR discussion, he described Apu's voice as entertaining and funny, saying he had no issue with it.
Azaria eventually agreed with the criticism of his portrayal. In 2020, he announced that he would no longer voice Apu, and the show's producers subsequently declared that white performers would no longer voice nonwhite characters.
The bizarre decision led to the recasting of other characters, including Dr. Hibbert and Carl Carlson. But Apu was effectively sidelined. Although he occasionally appeared in the background, he hadn't spoken a word since October 2017.
Until Sunday.
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L-R: Hank Azaria. Alexandra Wyman/WireImage; Sunil Malhotra. Brian To/FilmMagic
'I am Apu!'
Apu's new voice belongs to Indian-American actor Sunil Malhotra, who told Variety that his initial reaction to being offered the role was hardly enthusiastic.
"When my agent called me about a 'Simpsons' audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink," he said.
Malhotra wondered whether the writers had learned from the controversy, whether Apu could be reinvented, and whether the character's return could acknowledge past mistakes without disappointing longtime fans.
His reservations were personal. The actor said he had turned down his first professional acting offer 28 years earlier because it required him to play a stereotypical "Hindu guy."
"To be the butt of the joke wasn't something I was willing to do, and I've turned down similar work multiple times since," he explained.
Before accepting the Apu role, Malhotra insisted on meeting with showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos. He ultimately described the experience of working with the producers as collaborative and said bringing Apu back felt like a reclamation.
The actor was particularly pleased with the episode's climactic moment, when Apu removes his disguise and loudly announces his identity.
"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," Malhotra said.
He added that he hoped the episode was "equally satisfying for longtime fans" as it was for "other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way."
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