The Simpsons character Apu has returned to the show voiced by a new actor, after almost a decade away amid accusations of racial stereotypes.
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon – to give the much-loved shopkeeper his full name – re-appeared in Sunday’s episode titled The Revengening, voiced by India-born US-raised actor Sunil Malhotra.
The character has been seen but not heard around Springfield since the October 2017 episode The Serfsons, and his big return to action had reportedly been a closely guarded secret.
Malhotra said in a statement posted on Instagram that it feels like a reclamation. “It truly is his homecoming,” he said.
The character, who has been part of the long-running US animation series since 1990, was previously voiced by a white actor, Hank Azaria, putting on a heavy Indian accent.
Indian-American comic Hari Kondabolu made a documentary in 2017, titled the Problem With Apu, saying the character – a South Asian convenience store clerk – was founded on racial stereotypes.
The following year, an episode of the long-running US cartoon addressed the controversy surrounding the Indian character for the first time, making a nod to the accusations, but some viewers found it insufficient.
Others defended the show and said all its characters were stereotypes.
Azaria first announced he was stepping down from the role in 2020, and he later told Dax Shepherd’s Armchair Expert podcast: “Part of me feels like I need to go around to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologise.”
‘Deeply collaborative experience’
Speaking to Variety ahead of the weekend’s latest episode, Azaria’s replacement Malhotra explained: “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?”
The Grey’s Anatomy and The Legend of Korra actor continued: “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?”