“Who needs the Quik-E-Mart? I doooooo.”
After years of being a supporting character in Springfield on The Simpsons, the character of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon became a point of controversy after a documentary titled The Problem with Apu showcased how the character affected people of South Asian decent. Apu’s voice actor, Hank Azaria, would come away after the documentary by retiring the character from his slate of voices and Apu would be relegated to a silent background character for many years.
The Return of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
It’s been around a decade since Apu was voiced by Azaria in the episode The Serfsons. Since then, the character would be seen but not heard, as Azaria would no longer provide the voice, basically rendering the character non-existent. That all changed with last night’s episode The Revengining. Apu would become the centerpiece in a segment of the story and actor Sunil Malhotra would now take over for the voice work.
According to Variety, Malhotra recalled, “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. 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 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?”
Malhotra would engage more with producers on their plans with Apu down the line and he says, “My callback was the first of many times that no one at The Simpsons let me down. I told casting that I’d only consider an offer if I could meet showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos, both of whom gladly did so. It was the beginning of 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.”
Additionally, Janina Gavankar, known for The Morning Show, would also make her debut as Apu’s wife, Manjula, who was formerly voiced by the late Jan Hooks.
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