Comedian and Simpsons fan Hari Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem with Apu reveals the unbelievable damage one cartoon caused a generation of South Asians.
Dozens of publications have shared their two cents on Apu Nahasapeemapetilon of The Simpsons. But the same glaring blindspot that brought a dangerously stereotypical character like Apu to the small screen extends to this week’s think pieces on the documentary, The Problem with Apu, made by Hari Kondabolu. It makes perfect sense. The writers of The Simpsons have always been predominately white and so have TV writers.
One critic admitted that he “snorted derisively” when he heard its premise. In a film that ends with the creator literally punching Apu down, the writer characterized Kondabolu’s feelings toward character as “annoyance”. Another makes a comparison between the Indian-American relationship with Apu toward that of Scottish-Americans with comic-singer Harry Lauder. The pull quote is even worse: “Children need few excuses to bully. I had buck teeth and, oh, how I hated Bugs Bunny.”
Kondabolu spends the entirety of his documentary trying to pin down Hank Azaria, the man behind the voice described by The Simpsons writer Dana Gould as “inherently funny to white people.” But the talented voice actor with a spotty history of portraying minorities (see The Birdcage) refused to sit down and talk about the Kwik-E-Mart owner who has haunted Indian-American kids since the character’s debut.
Tragically poetic and irritatingly ironic, the documentary ends with Kondabolu reading an email from the elusive Azaria. He admires the comedian’s work and considers the topic important but refuses to participate for fear of putting himself at the mercy of Kondabolu’s editing and being taken out of context.
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Noticeably upset, Kondabolu says, “That’s great that he gets to choose how he wants to be portrayed. He gets to choose how he is viewed by other people. What a privilege … so ironic.”
What did you think of The Problem with Apu?