The Problem with Apu
- 2017
- 49m
IMDb RATING
3.8/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
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... Read allComedian 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.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.
Vivek Murthy
- Self
- (as Vivek H. Murthy)
Hank Azaria
- Self
- (archive footage)
3.83.1K
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Featured reviews
This is not a documentary
This video is not a documentary, it's just a bunch of snowflakes with weak arguments clinging to a thick accent but APU is so much more than his accent. To watter down such a complex character to the way he speaks is doing all Indians a great disfavor. The character of APU has so many wonderful qualities that i think all humans should have. Anyone who is a true fan of the show will agree that the APU presented in this "documentary" is very different from the APU in the series.
To be Indian and offended by the way APU speaks is to be ashamed of your heritage.
So what if a white guy does his accent? Phil Lamar did Samurai Jack and he got only praise for it.
I've been watching The Simpsons for over 20 years, Apu is one of my favorite characters. It's his thick accent that i love so much, but that's not to say that it's his only quality.
To be Indian and offended by the way APU speaks is to be ashamed of your heritage.
So what if a white guy does his accent? Phil Lamar did Samurai Jack and he got only praise for it.
I've been watching The Simpsons for over 20 years, Apu is one of my favorite characters. It's his thick accent that i love so much, but that's not to say that it's his only quality.
Hack stand-up act seeks attention through controversy
Hari's stand-up is second-rate and contrived, which did not garner him the fame he desired despite having access to the media apparatus through connections and wealthy parentage. So he went the route of feigned offense and propelled the zeitgeist of "cancel culture" along its unfortunate trajectory.
As we can see after the release of the film and its brief discussion in the press, Hari has again disappeared into obscurity, no doubt wondering what famous piece of entertainment he can latch onto next. Perhaps he will next cover issues which actually affect Indians and Indian-Americans instead of being critical when cartoon voice actors are not the same ethnicity as their characters (for very specific instances). That, however, is doubtful because it would not get him very much attention and would require considerable effort.
As we can see after the release of the film and its brief discussion in the press, Hari has again disappeared into obscurity, no doubt wondering what famous piece of entertainment he can latch onto next. Perhaps he will next cover issues which actually affect Indians and Indian-Americans instead of being critical when cartoon voice actors are not the same ethnicity as their characters (for very specific instances). That, however, is doubtful because it would not get him very much attention and would require considerable effort.
Hypocrisy?
Well Indians stereotype foreigners in their movies with an awfully hinglish accent from dacades!
Show them as sluts and bar dancers, drug dealers, and what not, but that's alright but apu is a problem, hmm.
Hypocrisy?
I'm an Indian an I love Simpsons! Apu doesn't represent every indian guy.. get a life! It's a comedy show.
Overstretching....
After watching this film, I think Hari Kondabalu is reaching with a lot of these arguments. For example, "'Thank you come again' has haunted Indian children for over a century." I am of Pakistani and Indian descent, and not once was I "haunted" or compared to Apu growing up in the United States during the 90's. I have talked with many of my South Asian friends/family about this film, and most of them also have never experienced such a comparison.
Look I appreciate these actors sharing their stories and creating a dialogue about the lack South Asian representation in Hollywood, but using Apu and the Simpsons as a scapegoat is completely misguided. Like many others have mentioned, the film seems to miss the point that the Simpsons is a light-hearted satire, and the show pokes fun at SO many different stereotypes. That's one of the many reasons why we love the Simpsons! Overall, I really don't think there's a strong argument here, and I wouldn't recommend this film...
Look I appreciate these actors sharing their stories and creating a dialogue about the lack South Asian representation in Hollywood, but using Apu and the Simpsons as a scapegoat is completely misguided. Like many others have mentioned, the film seems to miss the point that the Simpsons is a light-hearted satire, and the show pokes fun at SO many different stereotypes. That's one of the many reasons why we love the Simpsons! Overall, I really don't think there's a strong argument here, and I wouldn't recommend this film...
meh
Has it been much more focused on media ignoring minorities, instead of bashing a cartoon character which, in the end, seems just like PR a thing quite a lot (at least to me), this movie would have much more impact and obviously, much less views. Blaming Azaria for trying to talk on his own matters is a bit out of line. But besides, it does bring a lot questions and views and,fortunately so, even some answers but for me, this was definitely not the way to focus on the problem, even though yes, in the better version of the document, Apu would have every right to be mentioned.
Did you know
- TriviaBy the beginning of 2020, Hank Azaria had stepped down from the role of Apu. Later that year the producers of the The Simpsons (1989) declared that white actors will not longer voice non-white characters.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Brain Dump: The Apu That I Know (2018)
- How long is The Problem with Apu?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El problema con Apu
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 49m
- Color
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