Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has spoken on The Simpsons for the first time in nearly a decade, and he has a new voice behind him. Indian-American actor Sunil Malhotra has taken over the role from Hank Azaria, Variety reported exclusively.
The return came in the October 18 episode, “The Revengening.” Apu had been seen but not heard on the show since the October 2017 episode “The Serfsons.”
The casting was kept tightly under wraps. Fox did not share screeners of the episode, and everyone involved in the table read and production worked under nondisclosure agreements.
The episode also introduced Janina Gavankar as Manjula, Apu’s wife. Executive producer Matt Selman told Variety: “We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, ‘Simpsons’-y way that allowed him to evolve. We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”
Apu was moved into the background after the 2017 documentary “The Problem With Apu,” in which comedian Hari Kondabolu examined the character’s effect on South Asian Americans. Azaria later said he would no longer voice the character.
Source: ScreenRant
