The Problem with Apu (2017)

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.

Director:

Michael Melamedoff

Stars:

Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aziz Ansari, W. Kamau Bell

Cast

Credited cast:
Utkarsh Ambudkar	...	Himself
Aziz Ansari	...	Himself
W. Kamau Bell	...	Himself
Samrat Chakrabarti	...	Himself
Shilpa Dave	...	Herself - -Professor
Noureen DeWulf	...	Herself
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Herself
Dana Gould	...	Himself
Sakina Jaffrey	...	Herself
Hari Kondabolu	...	Himself
Aasif Mandvi	...	Himself
Hasan Minhaj	...	Himself
Ajay Naidu	...	Himself
Aparna Nancherla	...	Herself
Maulik Pancholy	...	Himself

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

prejudice | stereotype | south asian american | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 2017 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avalon Television, Marobru Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

49 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filming for The Problem with Apu began in April 2016.

User Reviews

Nuanced look at how things we love can still be flawed

This film is NOT saying you should feel bad for liking The Simpsons or the character of Apu. It is merely explaining how stereotypes like Apu can have real, negative effects in the context of our culture and society.

Hari's arguments are very intellectually honest, and are presented with plenty of humor. He has reasonable responses to all the defenses of the Apu stereotype.

Essentially, the biggest problem with Apu is that, because he the only Indian character on American TV for many years, many Americans came to only view Indians through the Apu stereotype. Imagine if Homer Simpson was the only depiction of white Americans on TV? It wouldn't be a fair portrayal. Neither is Apu, but because the character was created in an environment detached from actual Indians, perhaps it was easier to miss the problematic nature of defining a billion-plus people with a single character who sells expired junk food and has eight kids with his arranged-marriage wife.