Is Apu’s Character in Simpsons A Racial Stereotype? Indians Have Varied Viewpoints
Caricature or controversy - is 'Apu' worth it? Read to know?
The famous character in ‘Simpsons’- Bengal born Apu Nahasapeemapetilon who is a father to eight children and an eccentric husband to a home-maker has become the center of controversy for the past few months. The controversy started taking shape last year in November when Indian-American Comic Hari Kondabulu, in a 49-minute documentary argued that famous character Apu is completely based on racial stereotypes.
The Problem with ‘Apu’
Hari Kondabulu has a problem with Apu’s accent, labeling it as a “white guy doing an impression of a white guy making fun of my father”. He is also defined by his job and the number of children he has. Hari feels the entire portrayal of Apu’s character is based on Indian stereotypes that is harmful to the community and it is a false representation of the community.
His documentary features some prominent actors like Aziz Ansari and Kal Penn who talk about how the portrayal of Apu’s character had led them to be mocked by classmates. Recently Quantico star Priyanka Chopra gave her personal views on the Apu controversy, stating “Apu was the bane of my life growing up in the US." In her opinion, we are living in a time where we need to erase stereotypes and ‘Simpsons’ being a super-successful show, should all the more take responsibility.
Other Indians have a different point of view
Not all Indians believe that Apu’s character is offensive though and is representing false stereotypes. The character has come under the scanner at a wrong time when Indians are the best educated and fall in the bracket of the highest earning group of immigrants. Sanjoy Chakravorty, co-author of The Other One Percent: Indians in America says that he loves the Simpsons. "As far as I am concerned: Apu is one of three likable characters in The Simpsons - Lisa and Marge are the others. Homer, a caricature of the ignorant, blue-collar white male, is actually the most offensive."
"I like Apu, in fact, I love him. He has a Ph.D. in computer science, but enjoys running his store, he is a valued citizen of Springfield, a ladies man and adores cricket and is funny," Sidharth Bhatia, Mumbai-based founder-editor of The Wire, told a BBC Indian Correspondent. "It reflects true American diversity. The controversy about the stereotyping is classist snobbery - Indians in America don't want to be reminded of a certain kind of immigrant from their country - the shopkeepers, the taxi drivers, the burger flippers," says Mr. Bhatia.
Tunku Varadarajan from Standford University’s Hoover institution believes that Apu’s “inauthentic accent” doesn’t matter because he’s a caricature, like everybody else in the show.” He stated that the documentary comes at a wrong time when there’s more cultural sensitivity in liberal America.
Hank Azaria who is the Emmy award-winning voice of Apu, is prepared to step down from his role of voicing Apu’s character. “The idea that anyone young or old, past or present, being bullied based on Apu really makes me sad," said Azaria. "It certainly was not my intention," he said.
Is it Apu’s character or is it Homer’s character’s that represents the blue-collar ignorant white male more offensive? Has the controversy ignited at a wrong time? Will Apu’s character be completely wiped off from the ‘Simpsons’ show? Let’s wait and watch.
