Comedian Hari Kondabolu‘s documentary The Problem With Apu has stirred controversy since the first rumours of its release. Kondabolu, a South Asian American, uses the doco to dissect the depiction of the beloved Simpsons character, examining the racial implications and affects of Apu Nahasampeemapetilon.
Apu was the most prominent South Asian character on TV for the bulk of The Simpsons‘ run, and Kondabolu takes issue in particular with the fact that he’s voiced by a white man – in his words, “a white guy doing an impression of a white guy making fun of my father“.
That white guy is actor Hank Azaria, who refused to be interviewed in the documentary, but has now responded in a surprisingly thoughtful manner.
In an interview with TMZ, Azaria expressed his remorse that his performance of Apu had negatively affected a generation of South Asian fans.
I think the documentary made some really interesting points and gave us a lot to think about and we really are thinking about it.
Definitely anybody that was hurt or offended by it, or by any character or vocal performance, it’s really upsetting that it was offensive or hurtful to anybody.
He also said that he was considering whether there needed to be any changes to the character.
I think it’s an important conversation worth having. We’re still thinking about it. It’s a lot to digest.
Maybe this measured response will serve as an example to the hundreds of angry Simpsons die-hards who immediately got their backs up at the first hint of Kondabolu’s criticism. Yeah – we’re not holding our breath.
