And if prominent actors and critics continue to discuss this issue, they will have to address it in a more serious fashion. I have an inspection to worry about.”. In doing so, he made a comparison between Hank Azaria’s characterization and the old and largely discredited (except apparently for Megyn Kelly) practice of white actors applying blackface to play African-American characters, usually in a racist manner. . Aham is a divorce father of two who longs for a career as a musician but must pay the bills with his soul-sucking desk job. Many Indian-Americans dislike Apu because he was used for bullying when they were teenagers. I live in a college town now and probably 60-70% of my kids’ friends are Asian. When Apu appeared, I wasn’t cognizant of the stereotypical accent or how he was used for cheap laughs. One of the most biased documentaries I’ve ever seen. The decades-old character from The Simpsons is an obvious racial stereotype, playing off broad characterizations of how Indian and South Asian immigrants were perceived by white Americans in the 1990s and through today. Even better get a poll out to see how big of a problem he is. It was 42 degrees in there, but that’s where I worked on my cursive, sitting on a 12-pack of beer in my Catholic school uniform — a white polo shirt and blue slacks — and sipping a fountain drink. He’s modestly competent as an ordinary small biz owner – nothing particularly model. The IMDb editors are anxiously awaiting these delayed 2020 movies. And you know why a lot of us white liberals aren’t totally aware of it? That is something minorities have dealt with repetitively – even in what is nominally their own stories. Apu is more than an offensive accent or a stereotype. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Even better get a poll out to see how big of a problem he is. As such, he is the owner of a convenience store (obviously a nod to the many 7-11s and other small businesses owned by Indians throughout the northeastern United States), who later gets an arranged marriage, has octuplets, and is shown as a fantastic father and husband. You can’t talk about Apu and not think that the whole show should have been canceled some decades ago. Fox Comedian Hari Kondabolu made a documentary in 2017 called The Problem With Apu. In the seventh season of the show, he became an American citizen notwithstanding Homer’s rather inept efforts to “help” him pass the citizenship test. And until this controversy, my entire knoledge of APU came from how he wass clued in the NY Times crossword puzzle when they needed a three letter, two vowel word. He returned to India to meet my mom, an arranged match. For all the concern about cultural appropriation, some on the far left have no problem at all with appropriating outrage. While Apu Nahasapeemapetilon started out as a one-dimensional character that arguably did play to stereotypes about Indian-American immigrants, over time he has been fleshed out and become far more interesting and entertaining. Find out where The Problem With Apu is streaming, if The Problem With Apu is on Netflix, and get news and updates, on Decider. In retrospect, though, it’s obvious that some of it went too far. Lin-Manuel Miranda Hamilton's improvisation hip-hop group, Freestyle Love Supreme and their reunion performances in New York City in 2019. For anyone who grew up in the U.S. as a minority, such supposed atrocities are the most minimalist racial affronts one could think of. Our voices are heard in the White House, the United Nations, Congress, and state houses across America. Just like my dad, we’ve moved past Apu and the Kwik-E-Mart. Hasan Minhaj Himself. And there was the food. So in the script the character is no longer Native American. After this first wave of mostly educated immigrants from India arrived, others followed largely due to the fact that the area had a large Indian population where they could be around relatives, friends, or simply people like them. It’s hardly limited to Asian accents; I’ve heard my kids do British, southerner, Boston, etc. He was smitten and so was she. Only in comp to the over-the-top incompetence of the rest of the town (Except the Evil White Industrialist). My dada had raised his family in a big house, with a car, a chauffeur and one of the first telephones in town, and now he wondered why his son was doing menial work. The Problem with Apu is important (not to mention entertaining) for everyone, to better understand how the insidious effects of lack of representation in popular culture can affect entire generations of people. Which goes to Michael ‘s second situation as well. I can’t hate him, because Apu in so many ways is my dad. The Problem with Apu type The whole show(Not only Apu) is past its retirement age. Does he offend me? Yes, like every character on the show, he’s a caricature. Immigrant with racial angle caricature. The difference, of course, is that he’s played by an Indian-American actor. there is indeed I think a whiff of snobbery in there. Find out where The Problem With Apu is streaming, if The Problem With Apu is on Netflix, and get news and updates, on Decider. 1-) The problem of Apu is that he is a relic of the late eighties and early nineties, basically like everyone on the Simpsons. A2) Apu caused psychological & emotional problems for so many people as it offered racism towards the south Asian audience who took it personally , the American’s perception of South Asians the typical thinking that all desis are same & one of the problems for many people was that Apu was the only south Asian on television for so long . But that was a one-off shot. Yes. The documentary featured several South Asian celebrities and newsmakers, including comedian Aparna Nancherla and actor Kal Penn, as they recalled the way Apu made them reflect on their own identities. At the same time, Amar Shah, an Indian-American who works as a writer and producer in the entertainment industry offered a different perspective on the character: Everyone seems to have an opinion about Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the beloved and controversial Indian business owner who has been operating the Kwik-E-Mart since his debut in 1990. Besides that, we are only discussing Apu because a then 35 year old dude made a film where he and other people that are over thirty(And some over forty) complain that were nicknamed Apu when they were children. However, therein lies the problem: over the years, the discussion of Apu promoting stereotypes and even being considered racist by some has come up time and time again. I browsed the cooler and wondered what malt liquor or Bartles & Jaymes tasted like while I swigged orange Slice. Apu is a always presented as being a good person, despite being a walking stereotype. He’s not a bad person because he runs a convenience store. Rather than just being the guy who ran the Kwik-E-Mart whose only interactions with the likes of Homer and Bart came when they visited the store, his story has added more detail over time. The 290th overall episode of the series, it aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 10, 2018.. I thought about it and decided they had some weight to their argument. That’s already happening with Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari, Priyanka Chopra and others like Hannah Simone, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Tiya Sircar . “I don’t know who that is. 15 of 16 people found this review helpful. The jars of delicious pickled eggs and pigs’ feet soaked in red vinegar. Use the HTML below. The Apu character is certainly cliché, but I detect a whiff of snobbery in some of the criticism. If Apu were equally superficially-drawn but he was an engineer rather than a convenience store owner, I think we’d be hearing less about it. ‘The Problem with Apu’ and the American immigrant stories that aren’t being told Aug 15, 2018 6:25 PM EST If you want to pick a minority that has suffered from media biases, the last one I would pick is Indian Americans. The Problem with Apu: New Simpsons documentary investigates beloved character's impact on Indian Americans. If some Indian-Americans find him offensive, I am not going to argue with them about it. Rather than principally living in apartments, Indian-Americans are now homeowners, their businesses have become huge successes, and business such as restaurants that sprung up to attract the new population attract patrons from all over the area regardless of race or national origin. The Problem with Apu. One of the most biased documentaries I’ve ever seen. The impact and lasting legacy of the fictional Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (voiced by Hank Azaria), has been sharply debated since the debut of comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary “The Problem With Apu” in November 2017, which examined the stereotypes about Indian Americans that Apu embodied. I can just picture my African-American friends, who grew up being called the N-word on a regular basis, guffawing at the supposed outrage that Indians feel at having quotes from an American cartoon show shouted at them. At the same time, though, I think that there’s a case to be made that, even taking all of those criticisms into account, Apu is actually one of the most positive and likable characters on The Simpsons and that, over time, he has become one of the most likable, positive characters on the show. Utkarsh Ambudkar Himself. View production, box office, & company info, Detective Comedy From ‘Astronomy Club’ Duo Shawtane Bowen & Jerah Milligan Lands At HBO Max, ‘The Simpsons’ Replaces Hank Azaria With Alex Désert as the Voice of Carl in Season 32 Premiere, The Simpsons Recasts Carl Carlson for Season 32 Opener, Best Documentaries to Widen Your Perspective, Self - author of 'The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History'. So, you want to educate America about racial slights? Even Apu's voice actor has now admitted it has caused damage. Comedian Hari Kondabolu confronts his cartoon nemesis, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Indian convenience store owner from The Simpsons (1989) and the larger issue of how Western culture depicts Southeast-Asian communities. This running away consists of buying a building in a black ghetto in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Joe Biden got in trouble for saying it, but at some point, it did seem as though every 7-11 in New Jersey and Delaware was owned by and staffed by, Indian-Americans, and many of them did sound like Apu, right down to the accent. Terry and Eddie battle it out, Ike deals with Andy after too many drinks, Lucy struggles to get alone time with her date, and Granny finds a way to ease the tension with his date. A thorough examination of the infamous UFO cult through the eyes of its former members and loved ones. To be sure, Apu, like all of the characters on the show, has his moments of buffoonery, but none of it amounts in any significant way to racial animus. A documentary that focuses on a dangerously legendary water park and its slew of injuries and crimes along with child safety concerns. A look at the unforeseen consequences of advanced technological devices used in the medical field. “They aren’t going to make a big deal out of it, or anything like that, but they’ll drop him altogether just to avoid the controversy.”, Shankar would not elaborate on his IndieWire interview when reached by phone by NBC News, stating that he didn’t want to give away his source. The problem with The Problem With Apu is that, at 49 minutes, it's half a film. He was so nervous on the 30-hour flight from Mumbai to New York that he didn’t get up from his seat once, not even to go to the bathroom. Dana Gould Himself. The Problem With Apu is a documentary made by comedian Hari Kondabolu about the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on The Simpsons, an Indian convenience store owner. It was also the case that, in some cases, the kids were reflecting things they heard from their parents, which often did border on racism. I will readily admit that these kids didn’t always have the easiest time fitting in, but they also excelled academically and did their best to fit in with their fellow students even if we didn’t always make it easy for them. 2 years ago. Nor am I suggesting that white people should not stand up against displays of racism – quite the contrary, we should, and I do. Is that bad? Is he incomplete? “I’ve verified from multiple sources now: They’re going to drop the Apu character altogether,” Shankar told IndieWire. It is always a moral good to educate others on how their actions affect others. Shah goes on to note that his father sold the business in New Jersey and moved south to Florida where they acquired a business similar to the one that they had owned further north: The store was like home. We are currently the richest, most educated minority in America. But the essence of the criticism was that I had failed to explain that autism is not always or even in most cases as extreme as I’d shown in the character. (Bustle … The problem with The Problem With Apu is that, at 49 minutes, it's half a film. In any case, one of the reasons that the Apu character resonated so much is that it was a reflection of reality. If I can’t kill off a character because he’s a minority then I can’t have the minority character to begin with. Rather than delving into both sides of an argument, this guy did exactly what … Aziz Ansari Himself. “Who?” he said. When the only representation of a minority is as a minor character, quickly killed, they can be perceived as not having value in their own right. In response to the rumors that Apu might be written out of “The Simpsons,” Kondabolu said he wasn’t necessarily thrilled. And the nature of the criticism left me no way forward – It’s absurd to insist that a throw-away character have a complete backstory work-up and page after page of cultural information squeezed into scenes that are not remotely about that character. You want to make them more sympathetic to the feelings of minorities, including Indians? If there were other TV shows with indian characters, this movie wouldn't have been made.The problem wasn't with Apu, it was the fact that Apu was the ONLY indian/south asian tv portrayal.But here's the truth: Apu is literally portrayed as the most successful guy in Springfield. Initially his ... See full summary ». And they had his sister on who presented very differently. We’re stars, writers, directors and showrunners. It really should be My problem with Apu. Season 1, Episode 1 TV-14 CC HD CC SD. Leaving aside whether the character itself is bad, it has been used for evil. Be my guest. While Shankar is not affiliated with “The Simpsons” or its network Fox, he began a contest in April inviting creators to write scripts in which the character of Apu is reimagined beyond his current portrayal of a stereotypical Indian immigrant. If Hank Azaria’s portrayal is considered offensive, hiring an Indian-American to do the same thing would be doubly offensive. Sometimes it feels like people are looking for reasons to feel offended, even on behalf of others. The decades-old character from The Simpsons is an obvious racial stereotype, playing off broad characterizations of how Indian and South Asian immigrants were perceived by white Americans in the 1990s and through today. Indian American comedian, Hari Kondabolu, takes a journalistic deep dive into The Simpsons character Apu to find out how and why this stereotypical character has managed to stick around for so long. On the other hand is easy to understand why some people are annoyed by Apu. And get an actor of the target ethnicity to do both voicings. Directed by Michael Melamedoff, the doc makes its primary case, has a … *** Rashmi Venkatesh is a pharmacologist who now works behind a desk and lives in the Metro D.C. area. The Problem with Apu. The Problem With Apu is a documentary made by comedian Hari Kondabolu about the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on The Simpsons, an Indian convenience store owner. But a guy who works his ass off building a small business already has two strikes against him in the eyes of the expensively-educated, whereas, being an uneducated working stiff myself I admire the character. 2-) A point about stereotypes that most White people don’t understand: the problem that many people have is that these stereotypes are used for bullying. Model minority, bloody hell that’s searching hard for offence. He had Gatsbyish dreams. Come again!” — has been yelled at him at times by drunks on the street. Jason Kempin via Getty Images Comedian Hari Kondabolu attends truTV Presents: 'The Problem With Apu' screening and reception on Nov. 14, 2017, in New York City. No, because some part of him is real. All Rights Reserved. If Apu didn’t exist, would the bullies suddenly stop existing, too? So it appears they feel that quietly retiring this character is the right way to go. Ironically, minorities don’t care for many characters that would sound racist today(Like Speedy Gonzales or Balrog from the Street Fighter) in part because they were not used for bullying. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The Problem with Apu 2017. I’m at work on a script dealing with the same character and I included a brief caveat regarding autism. It’s the kind of character that would not appear in a show today. The only other character of South Asian origin I had seen was Jawaharlal Choudhury, the foreign-exchange student from India on “Head of the Class.” In video games, we had the Great Tiger, the boxer in “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out” who teleported around the ring wearing his trademark white turban with a red ruby, and Dhalsim from Street Fighter 2, a yogic contortionist with the power of fire. @Andre Kenji de Sousa: Apu … model minority…. Serie TV Cosa succede con gli attori caucasici che non doppieranno più personaggi di colore. even though they are over half the department in this US owned and based company), when it came up in conversation a year ago, either weren’t aware of the character, or just rolled their eyes at the stupidity of getting offended by it. Then he’s killed. Comedian Hari Kondabolu's new documentary, "The Problem with Apu," takes a critical look at the representation of South Asian people in American … offered a different perspective on the character: pushing back against the entire argument against the Apu character: The Voice Of Mr. Burns And Ned Flanders Is Leaving. Check out what we'll be watching in 2021. the problem that many people have is that these stereotypes are used for bullying. Shah’s take on the issue is an interesting one for me, not only because in some sense his father was Apu, but because it mirrors phenomena that I saw unfold during my own childhood and later in life in the area I grew up in. Yes… although probably hiring an Indian-American to voice him would be a wise move – and add a 2nd generation counter-weight. This comes after the release of activist-comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary, The Problem with Apu, which claimed the shopkeeper character, voiced by Hank Azaria, is a racist stereotype. This is certainly not to say that I, or any writer, should not face criticism. The Problem with Apu ––––––––– Comedian Hari Kandabolu calls out the Simpsons for its "Apu problem" in this powerful documentary featuring Aziz Ansari, Aparna Nancherla, Hasan Minaj, Kal Penn, and Whoopi Goldberg. Social media began buzzing on Friday when IndieWire published an interview with film producer Adi Shankar, who told the site that he had heard from several people close to “The Simpsons” that Apu would soon be dropped from the animated show. Back in 2017, comedian Hari Kondabolu made an extremely thoughtful and reasoned documentary titled The Problem With Apu, pointing out that the Indian-American character Apu is a harmful racial stereotype that The Simpsons has been happily perpetuating for literal decades. Along similar lines, Pradheep Shanker, an Indian-American medical doctor living in the Midwest, wrote a piece for National Review pushing back against the entire argument against the Apu character: On the show, Apu is a strongly accented, traditional Indian immigrant. To me the real problem of Apu is that Simpsons is way past it’s due date. But if you can’t, in good nature, laugh at the goodness and true comedic value of a character such as Apu . His father, a stranger from Nigeria, steps in with opinions on the matter which sends Aham into a tailspin. The Problem With Apu sparked a massive conversation online; The Simpsons creators Matt Groenig, Al Jean and Mike Reiss all weighed in. Aparna Nancherla Herself. yes a 2nd character, a relative, earlier immigrant or a local born (as in USA) cousin. As Shankar points out, we actually know a fair amount about Apu and his backstory. 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