Apu written out of 'The Simpsons' following racial controversy

Actor Hank Azaria, who voices the Kwik E Mart, said that he never meant to upset anyone with the accent

Hit animated series The Simpsons has been in the news quite a bit in the recent past. This was mainly down to the controversy surrounding South Asian character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon who has had to grapple with the troubling stereotype of a convenience store clerk with an exaggerated, fake Indian accent since the show’s existence.

PHOTO: TELEGRAPH

Many voiced their concern and disapporoval for the character's placement within the show. Following all the racial stereotyping backlash, the executive producer took to Twitter to address the issue, “I truly appreciate all the responses pro and con. Will continue to try and find an answer that is popular and more important(ly) right.”

.@TheSimpsons I truly appreciate all responses pro and con. Will continue to try to find an answer that is popular & more important right

— Al Jean (@AlJean) April 13, 2018

After this, an episode was released which attempted to 'rectify' matters. However, while the episode was well-received by some, many felt the attempt was half-hearted and underdone. “Wow. That’s the takeaway from my movie and the discussion it sparked?" quipped Indian-American film-maker Hari Kondabolu, who is behind the documentary The Problem with Apu. "Man, I really loved this show. This is sad.”

PHOTO: NBC

In an earlier interview, actor Hank Azaria, who voices Apu, said that he never meant to upset anyone with the accent. "I just wanted to make people laugh and bring joy. So the fact that it caused any kind of pain or suffering in any way, is disturbing, actually,” he said.

After all this, the producers have decided to drop the role altogether. The Kwik-E-Mart owner will be quietly written out of the long-running TV cartoon series to "avoid the controversy", producer Adi Shankar stated.

The Indian-American producer said he was disappointed with the decision, having launched a contest in April for the public to help write a script which transformed Apu from a bad stereotype into "a realistic portrayal of Indians in America". "I got some disheartening news back, that I've verified from multiple sources now: They're going to drop the Apu character. They aren't going to make a big deal out of it, or anything like that, but they'll drop him altogether just to avoid the controversy."

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