Apu is back! And he speaks! “The Simpsons” finally brought back the popular Kwik-E-Mart owner in the second episode of Season 38 — with a new voice. The character is now voiced by Indian actor Sunil Malhotra, a prolific voice actor with roles in everything from “The Legend of Korra” to “Mortal Kombat 11.”
This is significant, as Apu was previously voiced by Hank Azaria until 2020, when he retired the character’s voice following years of controversy caused by the 2017 documentary “The Problem with Apu.” In that documentary, comedian Hari Kondabolu raised questions about the portrayal of Apu as being a character of Indian heritage on mainstream American television, and the damage the character’s portrayal caused on real people. Particularly, Kondabolu singled out Azaria’s portrayal of Apu as a parody of a parody, not dissimilar to other stereotypes in “The Simpsons” like Bumblebee Man.
Thankfully, it seems like “The Simpsons” is actually learning. Rather than just retire Apu entirely, the show brought him back in a clever episode that feels like an apology to the character. In the episode, titled “Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening,” Homer, Chalmers, Frink, and Mr. Largo think they accidentally killed a man, only for the group to start getting killed one by one by a mysterious killer sending them notes that say “karma.” It’s basically a parody of “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” one that evolves into something bigger and funnier the moment we learn every single person in Springfield thought they had killed the same guy, only to realize he didn’t die and is now seeking revenge. At the end of the episode it’s revealed the man is Apu, who is angry that the town left him for dead and took him for granted.
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In an interview with Variety, executive producer Matt Selman spoke about the return of Apu, as well as his wife, Majula (now voiced by “The Morning Show” star Janina Gavankar). “We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, ‘Simpsons’-y way that allowed him to evolve,” Selman said. “We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”
The way “The Simpsons” dedicated an entire episode to bringing back a missing character with a new voice feels similar to what happened to Bumblebee Man last year. We got an episode that recast the problematic character with a voice acting legend, Humberto Vélez, the voice actor for Homer in Latin America. It’s not only a smart move, but it’s the way the recasting happened that made it all the more special.
That’s because Bumblebee Man’s return was essentially an origin episode for the character, giving audiences a love letter to not just the character but Mexican slapstick comedy and stunt doubles. It’s a phenomenal episode that doesn’t just erase the controversy about the character and pretends it never happened, but like “The Revengening,” it accepts that the show took these characters for granted and promises to give them characterization beyond just a single joke.
We’ll have to wait and see how big of a role Apu will now play in “The Simpsons,” but having the character return by killing characters in Springfield for forgetting about him (even if it was just a dream) is a great way to welcome back the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart.
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