Apu speaks on The Simpsons once more

The Kwik-E-Mart resumes business in Springfield with Sunil Malhotra as the voice of Apu. Apu can be heard in Springfield once more, 8 years after Hank Azaria vowed never to voice The Simpsons character again. He is now voiced by Sunil Malhotra ( Grey’s Anatomy, The Legend of Korra ) with Janina Gavankar ( Morning Wars ) as wife, Manjula.

Azaria ceased voicing the role after concerns about its stereotypical portrayal of a South Asian convenience store clerk, as detailed in the 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu. Whilst the character was seen in Springfield, he was no longer heard. Apu’s return in “The Revengening” was kept under wraps by producers and it was a casting that Malhotra was expecting to knock back.

“When my agent called me about a Simpsons audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink,” he said. “But admittedly, part of me was also curious. It had been eight years since Apu had spoken on the show, and it got me thinking: Did the writers’ room look different now?

Could they bring him back in a way that acknowledged and apologized for past mistakes? Could I make the character my own, and reclaim him in some way? And could they achieve all of that in an unmistakably Simpsons way that didn’t disappoint fans?

“My callback was the first of many times that no one at The Simpsons let me down,” he said. “I told casting that I’d only consider an offer if I could meet showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos, both of whom gladly did so. It was the beginning of a deeply collaborative experience that I hope is equally satisfying for longtime fans of The Simpsons and for other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way.” Both Sunil Malhotra and Janina Gavankar jointly posted the news on Instagram.

“Bringing Apu back feels like a reclamation. It truly IS his homecoming.” — @thatSunil Malhotra “After 22 years of friendship, I know Sunil is the perfect person to bring Apu home.” — @Janina Gavankar The Simpsons screens in Australia on Disney+. Soure: Variety