The Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has uttered his first line of dialogue in nearly a decade, as the sitcom casts new actors as the Kwik-E-Mart owner and his wife, Manjula.
Apu had been a prominent character on the long-running animated series since its first season, including lead roles in several episodes, such as Homer and Apu (season 5), Much Apu About Nothing (season 7) and The Two Mrs Nahasapeemapetilons (season 9).
However, his role was reduced to a non-speaking background character following 2017's impactful documentary The Problem with Apu, written by and featuring comedian Hari Kondabolu.
Drawing on the testimony and experiences of several public figures, the feature explored how the depiction of Apu, paired with his consistent presence on screens, had contributed to racism and negative stereotypes directed at the South Asian community.
That the character had been voiced by white actor Hank Azaria, who plays various Springfield residents, also led to accusations that Apu amounted to 'Brownface'.
Notably, The Simpsons team were somewhat defiant at first.
A maligned meta reference in season 29's No Good Read Goes Unpunished saw Lisa Simpson summarise the controversy as: "Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive, is now politically incorrect. What can you do?"
Meanwhile, creator Matt Groening told USAToday in 2018 that "it's a time in our culture where people love to pretend they're offended".
However, in light of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, and the wider reflections on structural racism that they provoked, the producers of the show rowed back on having white actors voice non-white characters.
The following year, Azaria said on the Armchair Expert podcast: "I apologise for my part in creating that and participating in that. Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologise. And sometimes I do."
Now, The Legend of Vox Machina and Mortal Kombat 1 star Sunil Malhotra has stepped forward to take on the role, while acknowledging the baggage that comes with it.
"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 told Variety. "But admittedly, part of me was also curious.
"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 apologised 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? Whether the producers knew it or not, I was prepared to walk away."
Ultimately, they came to an agreement for a Halloween-themed reintroduction for the character, which addresses his abandonment head-on.
Sweetening the deal, the role of Apu's wife Manjula went to Janina Gavankar (The Morning Show), who has an existing friendship with Malhotra spanning 22 years.
Malhotra described Apu's comeback as a "deeply collaborative experience that I hope is equally satisfying for longtime fans of The Simpsons and for other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way".
Executive producer Matt Selman said the Nahasapeemapetilon family will now appear, and be heard, more often.
"We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve," Selman said. "We're excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future."
In the episode, a masked figure in a monk costume takes revenge on the townsfolk for reasons unknown, before unmasking himself as Apu, who declares that Springfield left him for dead and forgotten.
The storyline, pitched by staff writer Nick Dahan and Mazariegos, uses the characters to acknowledge the show's own years of indecision over how to bring Apu back, with Marge, Bart and others apologising on the town's behalf.
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