Sunil Malhotra became Apu’s new voice in The Simpsons — Rolling Stone

Sunil Malhotra voiced Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in a new episode of the animated series The Simpsons, with the character speaking for the first time in nine years. Malhotra replaced Hank Azaria, who previously voiced Apu. As Rolling Stone reports, the character’s new voice was heard in the episode “The Revengening.”

The character’s return

Before that, Apu last spoke in the episode “The Serfsons,” which was released in October 2017. The show’s creators did not announce Malhotra’s involvement, so the appearance of the new voice came as a surprise to viewers.

Malhotra told Variety that when his agent informed him about the audition for The Simpsons, the idea initially made him anxious. He said he would consider the role only if he first met with showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos. The actor also noted that he did not want to be the object of a joke.

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New voices for Apu’s family

In the same episode, Janina Gavankar became the new voice performer for Apu’s wife, Manjula. Matt Selman confirmed to Variety that both characters will continue to be heard regularly in the series.

Apu was the focus of the 2017 documentary “The Problem With Apu,” in which comedian Hari Kondabolu discussed the character’s impact on people of South Asian descent. In 2020, Azaria said he would no longer voice Apu, and in 2021 he apologized for his role in creating the character.