“The Simpsons” has brought back the character Apu nearly a decade after weathering backlash over a non-South Asian actor voicing the Indian convenience store owner.
The long-running animated sitcom revived Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on Sunday’s episode “The Revengening,” with actor Sunil Malhotra taking over the voice from Hank Azaria, Variety reported.
It was the first time Apu had spoken since the episode “The Serfsons” in October 2017. The Kwik-E-Mart owner had been shown, but not voiced, in several episodes since then.
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Mr. Azaria’s portrayal generated controversy over its stereotypical depiction of a South Asian. He announced he would stop voicing Apu after the 2017 documentary “The Problem With Apu” and apologized in 2021.
In Sunday’s episode, a man in a “Daft Monk” costume who is repeatedly killed by Springfield residents is revealed to be Apu. The townspeople apologize for abandoning him before the story is shown to be a nightmare.
Mr. Malhotra said he researched what taking over the role would mean and spoke with producers to ensure the character was more culturally appropriate.
“I was prepared to walk away,” he said, according to Variety.
Janina Gavankar also debuted Sunday as Apu’s wife, Manjula. Executive producer Matt Selman said both characters and the Nahasapeemapetilon family will appear more often.
Producers kept the casting secret using tight protocols, including nondisclosure agreements for everyone involved, Variety reported.
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