The Problem with Apu (2017)

So I only just saw this film, and I found it pretty interesting. Hari interviews a lot of different people and it really looks like he has done his best to get a lot of different perspectives on the matter. It's a shame Hank Azaria wouldn't speak, but it's understandable. The documentary is well-edited and Hari can be legitimately funny at times.There are a couple flaws. Sometimes he seems to acknowledge a counterargument, but does not explicitly refute it. He mentions that Apu has also served as a way to expose white people's prejudices about Indians, but his rebuttal of this argument is a bit unsatisfactory. He talks about the lack of representation for south asians, but at the same time concedes that it has become much better now, although this is not a contradiction, it makes the argument less strong. The solution he provides at the end seems poorly formulated; he compares the Simpsons to a lovable, but racist grandfather who, at some point, should just die. This makes it seem like his solution is to kill the Simpsons as a whole, even though right before, he and the actor who played Apu's nephew came up with a different, better solution: For the Simpsons to work different, non-stereotypical Indian people into the show, and to display some self-awareness about the fact that Apu is a stereotype, or even to have Apu suddenly drop the accent and talk normally. A creative solution like this would work better than to advocate for The Simpsons to die, because that's not going to happen.Nevertheless, the documentary is well-made, funny, and provides a great insight into the personal experiences of many people of South Asian descent regarding representation, their image and how society sees them.

Hari Kondabolu's documentary dives into the title character from the Simpsons. He attacks the stereotype of Apu, yet, he makes his argument more about emotions than about fact. The people he interviews is clearly biased in how he interviews mainly Indian-Americans and people who support his case. He attempts to get Hank Azaria, who plays Apu, to be interviewed for the documentary. When Azaria turns him down, he gets furious with Azaria. He talks about privilege, which is important to talk about, but he doesn't dive in with logic and his complaints are based too much on emotion and not enough on facts.It is always important to talk about racism and stereotyping. However, "The Problem with Apu" and Kondabolu don't realize that the Simpsons sees these stereotypes as satire. Not to make fun of these people, but to simply make a joke. Kondabolu takes it too personal when the Simpsons isn't intentionally being racist, but just trying to get laughs.

Does the filmmaker not know that The Simpsons is a satire making fun of stereotypes (1.E. Italians being gangsters, Scotsmen being crazy, or rednecks are stupid). of course not, because when you have a political agenda actually realizing that the show is making fun of these stereotypes and not enforcing them.

I can't help but notice the ratings of this film have been assaulted by ignorant trolls who haven't even seen the film, because it only just came out a few hours ago.The Problem With Apu follows comedian Hari Kondabolu as he talks to major names in Indian American society from Aziz Ansari to the surgeon general. It asks a lot of tough questions and also really informs those who don't know, what it's like to have such limited representation in media. This film is not an assault on The Simpsons or anybody who likes them. Hell, Hari even says he has always loved The Simpsons and he owes the show for being one of the many things that inspired him to be a comedian.It merely points out the dangers of having the only person representing an entire race in media for years being a stereotype.I invite anybody who wants to learn more about representation in media or anyone who thinks this film will just be a brown guy whining for an hour to watch this film. It is very educational, funny, and insightful. I highly recommend this film. For my friends it was a great and new perspective they weren't used to seeing. For me, it was empowering to have my thoughts, as an Indian American working in the American film industry, finally given a voice.