Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in The Simpsons is a Kwik-E-Mart owner with a thick Indian accent
Comedian Hari Kondabolu is all set explore the impact of casual racism in The Simpsons with a documentary titled The Problem With Apu.
Popularly known as Apu, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in The Simpsons is a Kwik-E-Mart owner, with a thick Indian accent and countless children. Through his documentary, Kondabolu explores how prejudiced the show is while representing the Indian American community.
The trailer of The Problem With Apu was released at the Television Critics Association summer press tour last week and it reveals that the man who voices Apu, Hank Azaria, is white.
The documentary will explore the origin of the character Apu and its impact with a rotating panel of Indian American celebrities including Kal Penn, Aasif Mandvi, Hasan Minhaj, Aparna Nancherla, Maulik Pancholy, Sakina Jaffrey, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Simpsons writer Dana Gould. The trailer features glimpses from their conversations about racist stereotyping.
The Simpsons first came in 1989, a time when ethnic minorities were not exactly well represented on American television. Kondabolu points to fact that there are no other Indian characters in television that are not portrayed in this much-prejudiced way.
Kondabolu’s comedic cultural expose questions how this controversial caricature was created, burrowed its way into the hearts and minds of Americans, and continues to exist-intact-twenty-eight years later.
Kondabolu also urged Hank Azaria to appear in the documentary through a twitter post.
Dear @HankAzaria, I would really appreciate an interview for my new Apu documentary. I come with an open heart & an open mind. #Apu2016
— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) August 3, 2016
The documentary will hit the screens on truTV this fall.
Watch the trailer here: