The Simpsons may have to rethink the character of Apu

Hank Azaria, the actor who voices Apu on The Simpsons, has spoken about allegations of racism against the Indian character, saying there was 'a lot to think about'.

A documentary has been made about The Simpsons' character Apu. Picture: YouTube

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It comes in response to the recently-released documentary The Problem With Apu, in which comedian Hari Kondabolu tries to meet with Azaria to discuss Indian Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, one of the show’s most well-known characters.

Azaria declined the chance to sit down with Kondabolu to talk about the issues the documentary raises, such as lazy sterotyping, Apu’s exaggerated accent, and the character’s influence on popular culture and American society.

Hank Azaria voices Apu.

But Azaria, who also voices Simpsons regulars Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum and Comic Book Guy, has now said that it was “upsetting” if the character of Apu has offended viewers.

Questioned by US showbiz website TMZ at Los Angeles airport, the actor said: “I think the documentary made some really interesting points and gave us a lot to think about and we really are thinking about it.

“And definitely anybody that was hurt or offended by it, or by any character or vocal performance, it’s really upsetting that it was offensive or hurtful to anybody.”

But Azaria would not be drawn on whether there would be changes made to the character or the show in general.

Hank Azaria voices Apu.

“I think it’s an important conversation and one definitely worth having,” he said.

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Asked if they were taking “any measures”, Azaria responded: “We’re still thinking about it. It’s a lot to digest.”

The Problem With Apu aired on US channel truTV last month, and presented the argument that elements of the Apu character – such as his arranged marriage and the fact that his life is spent almost entirely in the Kwik-E-Mart – do nothing more than reinforce racial stereotypes.

Talking to the BBC, Kondabolu admitted that he finds Apu funny, but warned of the side effects of such a stereotyped character.

“Of course he’s funny, but that doesn’t mean this representation is accurate or right or righteous. It gets to the insidiousness of racism… because you don’t even notice it when it’s right in front of you. It becomes so normal that you don’t even think about it.

“It seeps into our language to the point we don’t even question it because it seems like it’s just been that way forever.”

Appearing on the Totally Biased comedy show, Kondabolu said that Apu amounted to a “white guy doing an impression of a white guy making fun of my father”.

This article originally appeared on our sister site iNews.