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Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:10,043 --> 00:00:11,612 I was doing this show in Brooklyn ‐‐ 2 00:00:11,612 --> 00:00:12,746 in Brooklyn, diverse Brooklyn! 3 00:00:12,746 --> 00:00:14,646 This kid comes up to me and he’s like, 4 00:00:14,648 --> 00:00:16,016 "Dude, I think you’re really funny. 5 00:00:16,016 --> 00:00:17,376 That’s a big deal coming from me. 6 00:00:17,384 --> 00:00:19,987 I don’t usually find ethnic comedy funny." 7 00:00:19,987 --> 00:00:23,257 I was like, "Why would you say that to my face? 8 00:00:23,257 --> 00:00:24,387 You could’ve tweeted that. 9 00:00:24,391 --> 00:00:26,059 Why... 10 00:00:26,059 --> 00:00:27,728 Why are you hurting me in real time? 11 00:00:27,728 --> 00:00:29,558 Why is this happening right now?" 12 00:00:29,563 --> 00:00:31,463 Ethnic comedy? What does ethnic comedy mean? 13 00:00:31,465 --> 00:00:33,066 It’s not like my whole act is, 14 00:00:33,066 --> 00:00:36,136 "Hey, brown people look like this. 15 00:00:36,136 --> 00:00:37,196 Hold up. 16 00:00:37,204 --> 00:00:40,040 White people, they look like that!" 17 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:41,570 [ Laughter ] 18 00:00:43,644 --> 00:00:45,445 I’ll take your laughs, nonetheless. 19 00:00:45,445 --> 00:00:46,305 I mean... 20 00:00:48,215 --> 00:00:51,518 Thank ‐‐ Oh, that’s a racist Apu joke in Denver. 21 00:00:51,518 --> 00:00:53,018 Boulder just went up another notch, 22 00:00:53,020 --> 00:00:54,850 just like that. 23 00:00:54,855 --> 00:00:57,658 I know you from high school, even though I don’t. 24 00:00:57,658 --> 00:01:00,127 You’re the reason I do comedy, sir. 25 00:01:00,127 --> 00:01:02,496 You’re the reason I thought to myself, 26 00:01:02,496 --> 00:01:05,626 "Nobody like us exists except this cartoon character. 27 00:01:05,632 --> 00:01:06,967 I’m gonna show up, 28 00:01:06,967 --> 00:01:09,167 and I’m gonna be the best [bleep] comic in the country, 29 00:01:09,169 --> 00:01:11,269 and I’m gonna make less than I deserve in Denver." 30 00:01:11,271 --> 00:01:15,175 ♪ 31 00:01:15,175 --> 00:01:18,405 28 years later, and the words "Thank you, come again" 32 00:01:18,412 --> 00:01:21,048 still follow me wherever I go. 33 00:01:21,048 --> 00:01:22,978 Hey, my name is Hari Konadabolu, 34 00:01:22,983 --> 00:01:25,752 and I’m a stand up comic in Brooklyn, New York. 35 00:01:25,752 --> 00:01:27,988 I’m the son of two immigrants from India who, 36 00:01:27,988 --> 00:01:29,788 despite me being a stand up comic, 37 00:01:29,790 --> 00:01:31,720 are still alive. 38 00:01:31,725 --> 00:01:34,161 My brother Ashok and I grew up in Queens. 39 00:01:34,161 --> 00:01:37,731 Here is a picture of us pretending to have Christmas. 40 00:01:37,731 --> 00:01:39,800 I’ve had a great career filled with laughter, 41 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:41,330 critical acclaim, 42 00:01:41,335 --> 00:01:42,502 and me shaking the hands 43 00:01:42,502 --> 00:01:45,002 of many famous white men on television. 44 00:01:45,005 --> 00:01:47,307 I should be completely happy. 45 00:01:47,307 --> 00:01:50,437 But there’s still one man who haunts me ‐‐ 46 00:01:50,444 --> 00:01:54,214 Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. 47 00:01:54,214 --> 00:01:57,050 Serving the customer is merriment enough for me. 48 00:01:57,050 --> 00:01:59,386 Thank you, come again. 49 00:01:59,386 --> 00:02:01,186 Hey, Ganesha. Want a peanut? 50 00:02:01,188 --> 00:02:03,088 Please do not offer my God a peanut. 51 00:02:03,090 --> 00:02:05,325 You’re stealing wishes? 52 00:02:05,325 --> 00:02:07,985 Please pay for your purchases and get out and come again! 53 00:02:09,429 --> 00:02:10,397 Oh, look. 54 00:02:10,397 --> 00:02:12,966 It is encrusted with filth. 55 00:02:12,966 --> 00:02:13,996 Oh, well. 56 00:02:14,001 --> 00:02:15,901 Let’s sell it anyway. 57 00:02:15,902 --> 00:02:18,138 Now, this is just between me and you. 58 00:02:18,138 --> 00:02:21,468 ♪ 59 00:02:21,475 --> 00:02:23,710 [ Cheering ] 60 00:02:23,710 --> 00:02:25,379 Hari Konadabolu, everybody! Hari Konadabolu! 61 00:02:25,379 --> 00:02:28,515 Hari: I publicly declared my war on Apu in 2012 62 00:02:28,515 --> 00:02:29,875 on the FX show, 63 00:02:29,883 --> 00:02:32,419 "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell." 64 00:02:32,419 --> 00:02:35,355 I did a piece about Indian‐Americans in the media. 65 00:02:35,355 --> 00:02:37,555 We’ve had an amazing run the last few years 66 00:02:37,557 --> 00:02:40,327 with more Indians in the public eye than ever before. 67 00:02:40,327 --> 00:02:42,596 There’s, like, 14 of us now. 68 00:02:42,596 --> 00:02:44,256 [ Laughter ] 69 00:02:44,264 --> 00:02:47,768 There’s now enough Indian people where I don’t need to like you 70 00:02:47,768 --> 00:02:51,368 just because you’re Indian. 71 00:02:51,371 --> 00:02:52,539 Because growing up, 72 00:02:52,539 --> 00:02:55,039 I had no choice but to like this. 73 00:02:55,042 --> 00:02:57,511 [ Audience groans ] 74 00:02:57,511 --> 00:02:58,979 Yeah. 75 00:02:58,979 --> 00:03:00,509 [ Laughter ] 76 00:03:03,316 --> 00:03:07,246 This all started because you asked me 77 00:03:07,254 --> 00:03:09,956 to do a piece on your old television show, 78 00:03:09,956 --> 00:03:12,286 "Totally Biased," when I used to write for it. 79 00:03:12,292 --> 00:03:15,295 You said, "If you don’t do this, 80 00:03:15,295 --> 00:03:17,795 I will fire you." [ Laughs ] 81 00:03:17,798 --> 00:03:19,498 And I’m like, "You know what? 82 00:03:19,499 --> 00:03:20,599 That’s ‐‐ that is... That’s good advice. 83 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,369 That’s good advice." That’s good advice. 84 00:03:22,369 --> 00:03:25,505 I couldn’t imagine anybody 85 00:03:25,505 --> 00:03:28,265 wanting to hear about Indian representation. 86 00:03:28,275 --> 00:03:30,143 As soon as people got what you were doing, 87 00:03:30,143 --> 00:03:31,678 and it wasn’t like it was an all Southasian audience, 88 00:03:31,678 --> 00:03:34,108 but it was an audience who understood about representation. 89 00:03:34,114 --> 00:03:35,482 And it was, like, the pop of like, 90 00:03:35,482 --> 00:03:37,482 "Yes, we know exactly what you’re talking about. 91 00:03:37,484 --> 00:03:39,453 We’re ready. Take us on the journey." 92 00:03:39,453 --> 00:03:41,653 Apu ‐‐ a cartoon character 93 00:03:41,655 --> 00:03:44,791 voiced by Hank Azaria, a white guy. 94 00:03:44,791 --> 00:03:46,326 [ Laughter ] 95 00:03:46,326 --> 00:03:48,956 A white guy doing an impression 96 00:03:48,962 --> 00:03:52,132 of a white guy making fun of my father. 97 00:03:52,132 --> 00:03:53,672 [ Laughter ] 98 00:03:55,102 --> 00:03:57,771 If ‐‐ 99 00:03:57,771 --> 00:04:00,671 If I saw Hank Azaria do that voice at a party, 100 00:04:00,674 --> 00:04:03,043 I would kick the [bleep] out of him. 101 00:04:03,043 --> 00:04:04,913 [ Applause, cheers ] 102 00:04:09,916 --> 00:04:11,916 Yeah. 103 00:04:11,918 --> 00:04:15,458 Or I’d imagine kicking the [bleep] out of him. 104 00:04:17,457 --> 00:04:19,926 Now, I realize some of you think I’m some annoying 105 00:04:19,926 --> 00:04:21,926 P. C. social‐justice warrior 106 00:04:21,928 --> 00:04:24,428 that’s very sensitive and is obsessed 107 00:04:24,431 --> 00:04:27,000 with a 28‐year‐old cartoon character. 108 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,969 You’re probably thinking, "Come on, snowflake. 109 00:04:28,969 --> 00:04:30,369 Let it go." 110 00:04:30,370 --> 00:04:32,005 Well, I have let it go... 111 00:04:32,005 --> 00:04:34,265 for 28 years. 112 00:04:34,274 --> 00:04:36,910 ♪ 113 00:04:36,910 --> 00:04:39,646 Look, man. I don’t hate "The Simpsons." 114 00:04:39,646 --> 00:04:43,316 In fact, I have always loved "The Simpsons." 115 00:04:43,316 --> 00:04:46,786 It’s one of the main reasons that I knew you could be smart 116 00:04:46,787 --> 00:04:50,287 and funny and political at the same time. 117 00:04:50,290 --> 00:04:52,325 It taught me about Pablo Neruda 118 00:04:52,325 --> 00:04:54,085 and Gore Vidal 119 00:04:54,094 --> 00:04:56,096 and Stanley Kubrick. 120 00:04:56,096 --> 00:04:58,196 It shaped me into the person and the comedian 121 00:04:58,198 --> 00:05:00,066 that I am today. 122 00:05:00,066 --> 00:05:01,366 And, yes, I know Apu is one of 123 00:05:01,368 --> 00:05:03,098 the smartest characters on "The Simpsons." 124 00:05:03,103 --> 00:05:04,871 Granted, the bar isn’t very high. 125 00:05:04,871 --> 00:05:05,939 [ Belches ] 126 00:05:05,939 --> 00:05:07,869 But that’s not why people liked him. 127 00:05:07,874 --> 00:05:09,943 They just liked his accent. 128 00:05:09,943 --> 00:05:11,978 I never heard anyone say they liked Apu 129 00:05:11,978 --> 00:05:13,608 because he exposed the idiocy 130 00:05:13,613 --> 00:05:15,213 and bigotry of Americans 131 00:05:15,215 --> 00:05:17,284 and the struggles of the average immigrant. 132 00:05:17,284 --> 00:05:18,451 No. 133 00:05:18,451 --> 00:05:20,387 It was just, "I love Apu. 134 00:05:20,387 --> 00:05:22,556 That voice is hilarious." 135 00:05:22,556 --> 00:05:25,725 Pardon me, but I would like to see this money spent 136 00:05:25,725 --> 00:05:27,425 on more police officers. 137 00:05:27,427 --> 00:05:29,796 I have been shot eight times this year. 138 00:05:29,796 --> 00:05:32,426 And as a result, I almost missed work. 139 00:05:32,432 --> 00:05:33,332 I hate Apu. 140 00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:35,302 Hate Apu? Hate Apu. 141 00:05:35,302 --> 00:05:37,370 And because of that, I dislike "The Simpsons." 142 00:05:37,370 --> 00:05:38,770 Wow, the whole series? 143 00:05:38,772 --> 00:05:39,840 Yeah. 144 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:41,107 The whole series? Yeah. 145 00:05:41,107 --> 00:05:42,307 I love "The Simpsons." 146 00:05:42,309 --> 00:05:43,777 I just don’t love that character but the whole thing? 147 00:05:43,777 --> 00:05:45,846 I have never been able to divorce the two. 148 00:05:45,846 --> 00:05:48,506 I love "The Simpsons" because... 149 00:05:48,515 --> 00:05:50,750 You hate yourself. ...’cause I comple‐‐ 150 00:05:50,750 --> 00:05:52,450 This whole film is me trying 151 00:05:52,452 --> 00:05:53,887 to get over the fact I hate myself. 152 00:05:53,887 --> 00:05:57,657 How many of you were bullied in any capacity as a child? 153 00:05:57,657 --> 00:05:59,387 ‐Are we raising hands? ‐Yeah, raising hands. 154 00:05:59,392 --> 00:06:01,761 We’ll do the hands thing. Yeah. Okay. 155 00:06:01,761 --> 00:06:05,431 Now, how many had to deal with, like, 156 00:06:05,432 --> 00:06:09,402 being called Apu or that being referenced. 157 00:06:09,402 --> 00:06:11,002 I’m driving with my dad as a little kid, 158 00:06:11,004 --> 00:06:12,772 and someone goes like, "Bing, bing!" 159 00:06:12,772 --> 00:06:14,172 They say like, "Oh, hey," ‐‐ 160 00:06:14,174 --> 00:06:15,942 and they’re doing, like, the Indian voice ‐‐ 161 00:06:15,942 --> 00:06:17,242 like, "Hey, I need to get another Slurpee. 162 00:06:17,244 --> 00:06:19,312 Can you tell me where the Kwik‐E‐Mart is? 163 00:06:19,312 --> 00:06:21,012 Thank you, come again!" And they drive off. 164 00:06:21,014 --> 00:06:24,451 I remember in seventh grade, actually, being bullied 165 00:06:24,451 --> 00:06:26,786 by this guy who would speak to me, 166 00:06:26,786 --> 00:06:28,916 actually, with Apu’s accent 167 00:06:28,922 --> 00:06:31,057 or the accent that he thought all Indians spoke with. 168 00:06:31,057 --> 00:06:32,726 Pancholy: We lived next to, like, 7‐Eleven. 169 00:06:32,726 --> 00:06:34,426 And there was always, like, a sense of like, 170 00:06:34,427 --> 00:06:35,957 "Oh, please don’t let it be an Indian person 171 00:06:35,962 --> 00:06:38,031 working behind the counter because if it is, 172 00:06:38,031 --> 00:06:40,567 my friends are gonna do, like, the Apu thing." 173 00:06:40,567 --> 00:06:43,497 I just would wonder how many Indian‐American, 174 00:06:43,503 --> 00:06:45,272 Southasian‐Americans, 175 00:06:45,272 --> 00:06:46,640 have had to deal with this. 176 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,309 This [bleep] guy, this Apu, 177 00:06:49,309 --> 00:06:52,379 this one character created 178 00:06:52,379 --> 00:06:54,247 so many problems 179 00:06:54,247 --> 00:06:58,447 psychologically, emotionally, for so many people. 180 00:06:58,451 --> 00:07:00,487 They didn’t mean for it to happen. 181 00:07:00,487 --> 00:07:04,087 We just were underrepresented, and so we struggled. 182 00:07:04,090 --> 00:07:07,060 And the kind of racism that made Apu possible in Hollywood 183 00:07:07,060 --> 00:07:09,760 still exists everywhere. 184 00:07:09,763 --> 00:07:12,432 Apu represents an America that makes fun of immigrants 185 00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:14,501 and anyone who is not white. 186 00:07:14,501 --> 00:07:16,136 Yes, trolls, I know. 187 00:07:16,136 --> 00:07:17,536 They’re yellow. 188 00:07:17,537 --> 00:07:21,107 My mission is to figure out how we ended up with Apu 189 00:07:21,107 --> 00:07:23,076 and how we can get rid of him. 190 00:07:23,076 --> 00:07:26,446 And I think I know someone who might be able to help us. 191 00:07:31,151 --> 00:07:32,619 Hari: 1989 was a big year. 192 00:07:32,619 --> 00:07:34,519 The Berlin Wall fell. 193 00:07:34,521 --> 00:07:37,390 Billy Joel claimed he didn’t start a fire. 194 00:07:37,390 --> 00:07:38,990 I got the chicken pox. 195 00:07:38,992 --> 00:07:41,261 But most relevant for this film, 196 00:07:41,261 --> 00:07:42,961 "The Simpsons" was created 197 00:07:42,963 --> 00:07:45,432 and my life was never the same. 198 00:07:45,432 --> 00:07:48,468 Can you give us a brief history of "The Simpsons"? 199 00:07:48,468 --> 00:07:50,136 There was a brand‐new network, Fox, 200 00:07:50,136 --> 00:07:51,736 and they were desperate for content. 201 00:07:51,738 --> 00:07:53,938 And they needed content that no one else was doing, 202 00:07:53,940 --> 00:07:55,809 that would sell, and that was a little controversial. 203 00:07:55,809 --> 00:07:58,239 Why, you little! 204 00:07:58,244 --> 00:08:01,281 But they were funny and smart, and they looked really weird. 205 00:08:01,281 --> 00:08:03,817 No one had really seen animation like this on ‐‐ 206 00:08:03,817 --> 00:08:05,517 on network TV before. 207 00:08:05,518 --> 00:08:07,487 "The Simpsons" were huge. 208 00:08:07,487 --> 00:08:08,747 They were everywhere. 209 00:08:08,755 --> 00:08:10,757 T‐shirts, toys, 210 00:08:10,757 --> 00:08:12,225 candy bar commercials, 211 00:08:12,225 --> 00:08:13,385 chicken commercials, 212 00:08:13,393 --> 00:08:14,793 car commercials, 213 00:08:14,794 --> 00:08:18,334 and even bizarre car commercials from France. 214 00:08:21,935 --> 00:08:24,838 They were an international phenomenon. 215 00:08:24,838 --> 00:08:25,968 And you’re a huge "Simpsons" fan. 216 00:08:25,972 --> 00:08:26,972 Um, yeah. 217 00:08:26,973 --> 00:08:28,541 It was something that I grew up with, 218 00:08:28,541 --> 00:08:30,210 and it was something that was always on the TV 219 00:08:30,210 --> 00:08:31,510 when I came home from school. 220 00:08:31,511 --> 00:08:33,380 Did you guys grow up watching "The Simpsons"? 221 00:08:33,380 --> 00:08:34,810 Absolutely. I love that show. 222 00:08:34,814 --> 00:08:37,951 I loved that you could watch the episodes again and again, 223 00:08:37,951 --> 00:08:40,951 and you would always get a joke that you missed the first time. 224 00:08:40,954 --> 00:08:42,856 What do you love about "The Simpsons"? 225 00:08:42,856 --> 00:08:45,686 Probably its humor. It’s pretty unique. 226 00:08:45,692 --> 00:08:48,628 It just represents everything about humanity, 227 00:08:48,628 --> 00:08:50,296 I think, but in a funny aspect. 228 00:08:50,296 --> 00:08:51,996 And you know, America went through a time 229 00:08:51,998 --> 00:08:53,698 when "The Simpsons" owned America. 230 00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:55,268 I remember when that was appointment television, 231 00:08:55,268 --> 00:08:56,768 where if you didn’t see "The Simpsons" on Sunday, 232 00:08:56,770 --> 00:08:58,570 you couldn’t have a conversation on Monday with some people. 233 00:08:58,571 --> 00:09:00,571 Yeah. It was also edgy. It was edgy at the time. Yeah. 234 00:09:00,573 --> 00:09:02,709 La‐la‐la‐la‐la‐la‐la! Ha! Ha! 235 00:09:02,709 --> 00:09:04,139 La‐la‐la! Ha! ha! La‐la‐la‐la! 236 00:09:04,144 --> 00:09:05,211 Stop him! 237 00:09:05,211 --> 00:09:06,811 He’s expressing his faith, eh? 238 00:09:06,813 --> 00:09:08,948 The thing is, is that "The Simpsons" 239 00:09:08,948 --> 00:09:11,618 stereotypes all races. 240 00:09:11,618 --> 00:09:14,318 They stereotype the alcoholic, the deadbeat dad, 241 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,390 the "F"‐up kid, the over‐achieving daughter. 242 00:09:17,390 --> 00:09:20,460 They stereotype Italians, Chinese, Japanese. 243 00:09:20,460 --> 00:09:22,796 They spare no expense. 244 00:09:22,796 --> 00:09:25,456 The problem is, is we didn’t have 245 00:09:25,465 --> 00:09:28,368 any other representation in this country. 246 00:09:28,368 --> 00:09:32,505 There was no Aziz, no Mindy, no Kal, 247 00:09:32,505 --> 00:09:34,505 no that dude who was on "Lost," 248 00:09:34,507 --> 00:09:36,376 and that other dude from "Heroes," 249 00:09:36,376 --> 00:09:39,106 and that dude that’s in the Apu documentary. 250 00:09:39,112 --> 00:09:41,612 No politicians or reporters, 251 00:09:41,614 --> 00:09:45,251 and no whatever Deepak Chopra is. 252 00:09:45,251 --> 00:09:47,420 This is all we had. 253 00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:50,056 Apu reflected how America viewed us ‐‐ 254 00:09:50,056 --> 00:09:51,416 servile... 255 00:09:51,424 --> 00:09:52,926 devious... 256 00:09:52,926 --> 00:09:54,726 goofy. 257 00:09:54,727 --> 00:09:55,857 And that creates a problem 258 00:09:55,862 --> 00:09:57,730 when the most popular show on television, 259 00:09:57,730 --> 00:09:59,099 which it was, 260 00:09:59,099 --> 00:10:02,469 is showing mainstream America 261 00:10:02,469 --> 00:10:04,037 what an Indian is. Right. 262 00:10:04,037 --> 00:10:07,507 And it’s a potbellied dude who can’t speak English, 263 00:10:07,507 --> 00:10:09,707 has zero ‐‐ is an idiot, basically. 264 00:10:09,709 --> 00:10:13,109 So, where did this walking stereotype come from? 265 00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:16,182 I mean, other than the gates of hell. 266 00:10:16,182 --> 00:10:17,617 I read somewhere that Apu, 267 00:10:17,617 --> 00:10:19,417 they originally did not want to make him 268 00:10:19,419 --> 00:10:21,949 and Indian convenience store owner 269 00:10:21,955 --> 00:10:23,356 because they thought it was too much of a stereotype. 270 00:10:23,356 --> 00:10:24,756 It’s completely untrue. 271 00:10:24,757 --> 00:10:26,787 Right away they were like, "Can you do an Indian voice, 272 00:10:26,793 --> 00:10:28,693 and how offensive can you make it," basically. 273 00:10:28,695 --> 00:10:29,696 Really? [ Laughter ] 274 00:10:29,696 --> 00:10:31,156 I literally ‐‐ 275 00:10:31,164 --> 00:10:33,700 I would, immediately began to talk this way and... 276 00:10:33,700 --> 00:10:36,400 And I was like, "It’s not tremendously accurate. 277 00:10:36,402 --> 00:10:37,602 It’s a little... stereotype." 278 00:10:37,604 --> 00:10:40,039 They’re like, "Meh, it’s all right." 279 00:10:40,039 --> 00:10:43,309 So, Hank Azaria, a brilliant voice‐over actor 280 00:10:43,309 --> 00:10:45,478 who does many of "The Simpsons" characters, 281 00:10:45,478 --> 00:10:49,848 is told to do this stereotypical voice by producers. 282 00:10:49,849 --> 00:10:51,117 Or was he? 283 00:10:51,117 --> 00:10:53,847 Reiss: Apu, he was not intended to be a character. 284 00:10:53,853 --> 00:10:55,655 He was called "clerk." Man: Mm‐hmm. 285 00:10:55,655 --> 00:10:58,285 He had one line, "35 cents, please." 286 00:10:58,291 --> 00:11:01,628 And I wrote in the script, "He is not an Indian." 287 00:11:01,628 --> 00:11:03,496 ’Cause I said, "That is a comedy cliché." 288 00:11:03,496 --> 00:11:04,756 I see, yeah. 289 00:11:04,764 --> 00:11:06,699 And we get to the table reading, and Hank Azaria goes, 290 00:11:06,699 --> 00:11:08,699 [ Bad Indian accent ] "35 cents, please." 291 00:11:08,701 --> 00:11:10,301 [ Normal voice ] And it got this giant laugh, 292 00:11:10,303 --> 00:11:13,072 and, suddenly, Apu was an Indian. 293 00:11:13,072 --> 00:11:15,542 [ Laughing ] "35 cents, please." 294 00:11:15,542 --> 00:11:19,145 Man, that is some brilliant comedy writing. 295 00:11:19,145 --> 00:11:21,045 [ Fog horn blares ] 296 00:11:21,047 --> 00:11:22,515 So, what I do know for sure is 297 00:11:22,515 --> 00:11:26,145 that a white dude created a stereotypical Indian voice, 298 00:11:26,152 --> 00:11:28,721 and a bunch of white writers in a room laughed 299 00:11:28,721 --> 00:11:30,957 at said stereotypical Indian voice. 300 00:11:30,957 --> 00:11:33,987 And this led to the creation of my childhood bully 301 00:11:33,993 --> 00:11:37,163 and a walking insult to my parents. 302 00:11:37,163 --> 00:11:39,265 Are you sure you want a child, Apu? 303 00:11:39,265 --> 00:11:40,525 You know I do. 304 00:11:40,533 --> 00:11:42,202 I mean, there comes a time   in a man’s life 305 00:11:42,202 --> 00:11:43,570 when he asks himself, 306 00:11:43,570 --> 00:11:47,040 "Who will float my corpse down the Ganges?" 307 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:48,570 So, that’s you guys. 308 00:11:48,575 --> 00:11:51,144 [ Clears throat ] 309 00:11:51,144 --> 00:11:53,313 Today, you look like Apu today, somewhat. 310 00:11:53,313 --> 00:11:56,482 No, that’s not funny. Why do I look like Apu today? 311 00:11:56,482 --> 00:11:57,882 The hair, I think. 312 00:11:57,884 --> 00:11:59,519 ‐Apu hair. ‐Apu hair! 313 00:11:59,519 --> 00:12:00,719 I don’t have Apu hair. 314 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:01,750 Hey, Apu. 315 00:12:01,754 --> 00:12:02,789 Apu hair. 316 00:12:02,789 --> 00:12:04,619 [ Both laugh ] 317 00:12:04,624 --> 00:12:07,493 When you see that character, do either of you identify 318 00:12:07,493 --> 00:12:09,062 with that character in any way? 319 00:12:09,062 --> 00:12:09,996 No. 320 00:12:09,996 --> 00:12:11,356 I don’t think so. 321 00:12:11,364 --> 00:12:13,666 Does it bother you at all that it’s a white actor 322 00:12:13,666 --> 00:12:14,966 that does the voice of Apu? 323 00:12:14,968 --> 00:12:18,498 Hank Azaria is a talented guy. 324 00:12:18,504 --> 00:12:22,374 They paid him, he did it. And he did it good. 325 00:12:22,375 --> 00:12:25,645 Why do you think you tolerate this kind of stuff 326 00:12:25,645 --> 00:12:26,913 more than we would? 327 00:12:26,913 --> 00:12:28,982 First of all, we came here. 328 00:12:28,982 --> 00:12:31,050 We had to succeed, no matter what. 329 00:12:31,050 --> 00:12:33,820 It doesn’t mean that we are not offended by it. 330 00:12:33,820 --> 00:12:36,289 Why do you feel like we don’t tolerate it? 331 00:12:36,289 --> 00:12:37,589 Times have changed. 332 00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:40,890 You have security, and you belong here. 333 00:12:40,893 --> 00:12:42,362 You’re an American. 334 00:12:42,362 --> 00:12:44,797 So, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening makes 335 00:12:44,797 --> 00:12:47,297 this Indian store clerk a series regular, 336 00:12:47,300 --> 00:12:50,570 and names him Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. 337 00:12:50,570 --> 00:12:52,639 But where does the name come from? 338 00:12:52,639 --> 00:12:54,939 Well, his last name, Nahasapeemapetilon, 339 00:12:54,941 --> 00:12:58,711 comes from the Sanskrit word for [bleep]. 340 00:12:58,711 --> 00:13:01,047 And his first name, well, I’ll let Matt explain 341 00:13:01,047 --> 00:13:02,277 why he chose "Apu." 342 00:13:02,282 --> 00:13:05,082 Groening: I named Apu after the trilogy, 343 00:13:05,084 --> 00:13:07,153 the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray. 344 00:13:07,153 --> 00:13:10,356 And I highly recommend this series of movies ‐‐ 345 00:13:10,356 --> 00:13:13,426 fantastic landmarks in world cinema. 346 00:13:13,426 --> 00:13:15,656 Hari: Can you tell us what the Apu Trilogy is? 347 00:13:15,662 --> 00:13:18,462 The Apu Trilogy is the story of it’s hero, 348 00:13:18,464 --> 00:13:19,799 a young boy named Apu, 349 00:13:19,799 --> 00:13:22,468 who we follow over the course of three films. 350 00:13:22,468 --> 00:13:25,538 You see in the course of his life both a young man 351 00:13:25,538 --> 00:13:27,807 grow up and actually deepen, 352 00:13:27,807 --> 00:13:31,177 but also, you see the modernization of India. 353 00:13:32,545 --> 00:13:34,145 As someone who’s a scholar of Ray, 354 00:13:34,147 --> 00:13:36,816 who knows those films very well, 355 00:13:36,816 --> 00:13:39,146 how do you feel about that choice? 356 00:13:39,152 --> 00:13:42,588 His story’s the story of a multidimensional human being 357 00:13:42,588 --> 00:13:46,526 who grows living through pain and tragedy and beauty. 358 00:13:46,526 --> 00:13:50,626 And to have that name then be associated with the Apu 359 00:13:50,630 --> 00:13:52,460 of the convenience store, 360 00:13:52,465 --> 00:13:55,134 of course, is such a huge diminishment. 361 00:13:55,134 --> 00:13:56,836 ♪ 362 00:13:56,836 --> 00:13:59,066 [ Screams ] 363 00:14:05,678 --> 00:14:07,178 Hari: And even though Matt Groening 364 00:14:07,180 --> 00:14:08,310 created "The Simpsons," 365 00:14:08,314 --> 00:14:10,550 it’s Hank Azaria who does the voice 366 00:14:10,550 --> 00:14:12,885 and can literally silence Apu. 367 00:14:12,885 --> 00:14:15,615 I was feeling hopeful I could get Hank to speak to me, 368 00:14:15,621 --> 00:14:18,921 especially since he had spoken about this once before 369 00:14:18,925 --> 00:14:21,761 in a Huffington Post article from 2013, 370 00:14:21,761 --> 00:14:24,430 entitled, "Is It Time to Retire Apu?" 371 00:14:24,430 --> 00:14:25,830 by Mallika Rao. 372 00:14:25,832 --> 00:14:29,569 When you spoke to Hank Azaria, was there a defensiveness? 373 00:14:29,569 --> 00:14:32,299 For the first time, he wants to talk about 374 00:14:32,305 --> 00:14:35,074 how he feels uncomfortable with the voice. 375 00:14:35,074 --> 00:14:36,476 Did he do Apu over the phone? 376 00:14:36,476 --> 00:14:37,776 He did briefly. 377 00:14:37,777 --> 00:14:41,077 He‐He talked about how the voice is very musical. 378 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:42,548 He did the accent. 379 00:14:42,548 --> 00:14:43,778 He mentioned you ‐‐ 380 00:14:43,783 --> 00:14:45,151 Well, he didn’t know your name, 381 00:14:45,151 --> 00:14:47,651 but he said that there was an Indian comic 382 00:14:47,653 --> 00:14:53,092 who he’d seen a video of, who just went off on Apu. 383 00:14:53,092 --> 00:14:55,762 Had he not thought about it until he saw my bit? 384 00:14:55,762 --> 00:14:57,029 Right. He hadn’t, so... 385 00:14:57,029 --> 00:14:58,859 So, for, like, 20 ‐‐ At that point, maybe, like, 386 00:14:58,865 --> 00:15:01,234 21, 22 years, 387 00:15:01,234 --> 00:15:02,969 he had not thought about it? 388 00:15:02,969 --> 00:15:04,969 He hadn’t thought about it 389 00:15:04,971 --> 00:15:09,108 from the perspective of a real Apu, 390 00:15:09,108 --> 00:15:11,377 and real Indian person. 391 00:15:11,377 --> 00:15:14,347 So Hank has thought about this. 392 00:15:14,347 --> 00:15:18,777 And if I got to Hank before, I’m sure I can get to him again. 393 00:15:20,686 --> 00:15:22,786 ♪ 394 00:15:22,789 --> 00:15:24,919 Hari: To understand my quest to get rid of Apu, 395 00:15:24,924 --> 00:15:26,826 you need to understand the complicated 396 00:15:26,826 --> 00:15:28,386 and diverse experiences 397 00:15:28,394 --> 00:15:30,596 of Southasian‐Americans in this country. 398 00:15:30,596 --> 00:15:33,496 ♪ 399 00:15:33,499 --> 00:15:35,129 I spent the first nine years of my life 400 00:15:35,134 --> 00:15:36,436 in Jackson Heights, Queens ‐‐ 401 00:15:36,436 --> 00:15:39,336 the most diverse part of the most diverse borough 402 00:15:39,338 --> 00:15:41,307 of the most diverse city in the world. 403 00:15:41,307 --> 00:15:43,137 It is my favorite place 404 00:15:43,142 --> 00:15:46,579 and every white supremacist’s nightmare. 405 00:15:46,579 --> 00:15:49,579 I grew up near 74th Street in what’s called "Little India." 406 00:15:49,582 --> 00:15:51,582 But to be fair, this isn’t actually Little India. 407 00:15:51,584 --> 00:15:53,886 It’s more Little Southasia ’cause you have people 408 00:15:53,886 --> 00:15:55,686 from all over the region here, 409 00:15:55,688 --> 00:15:58,318 whether that be India or Pakistan 410 00:15:58,324 --> 00:16:01,327 or Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, 411 00:16:01,327 --> 00:16:02,627 Buton, or the Maldives, 412 00:16:02,628 --> 00:16:05,758 and sometimes Tibet and Afghanistan. 413 00:16:05,765 --> 00:16:09,101 The borders kind of change depending on political reasons 414 00:16:09,101 --> 00:16:10,801 or who the U. S. is bombing 415 00:16:10,803 --> 00:16:12,338 at that particular moment. 416 00:16:12,338 --> 00:16:15,768 Afghanistan has since been moved to the Middle East. 417 00:16:15,775 --> 00:16:18,311 But all these countries have different make ups, right? 418 00:16:18,311 --> 00:16:21,848 They have different languages and cultures and religions. 419 00:16:21,848 --> 00:16:23,948 But when you grow up in this country, 420 00:16:23,950 --> 00:16:25,418 it doesn’t really matter 421 00:16:25,418 --> 00:16:27,587 ’cause you’re still gonna be called Apu. 422 00:16:27,587 --> 00:16:31,087 Well, look! It is Mr. Homer, my favorite customer. 423 00:16:31,090 --> 00:16:33,659 Please, feel free to paw through my Playdudes 424 00:16:33,659 --> 00:16:34,789 and tell me to go back 425 00:16:34,794 --> 00:16:36,662 to some country I am not actually from. 426 00:16:36,662 --> 00:16:38,731 He sort of does the stand‐in work 427 00:16:38,731 --> 00:16:41,067 for a lot of different kinds of issues 428 00:16:41,067 --> 00:16:43,467 related to immigration and race. 429 00:16:43,469 --> 00:16:45,738 Every time there was a certain kind of focus 430 00:16:45,738 --> 00:16:47,807 on Apu’s character in relationship 431 00:16:47,807 --> 00:16:49,775 to some kind of universal norm, 432 00:16:49,775 --> 00:16:53,245 the way in which they talked about it was usually 433 00:16:53,246 --> 00:16:56,816 in a particular stereotypical way. 434 00:16:56,816 --> 00:16:59,816 If there was an episode that was on marriage, 435 00:16:59,819 --> 00:17:03,089 Apu, of course, had to have the arranged marriage. 436 00:17:03,089 --> 00:17:04,519 Then it is agreed. 437 00:17:04,524 --> 00:17:08,694 Your third daughter will marry our first son. 438 00:17:08,694 --> 00:17:12,131 If there was an episode on having children, 439 00:17:12,131 --> 00:17:14,667 then Apu had to have eight children. 440 00:17:14,667 --> 00:17:16,297 My whaaaat? 441 00:17:16,302 --> 00:17:19,338 Stereotypes have a long half‐life. 442 00:17:19,338 --> 00:17:21,168 They tend to last for a while 443 00:17:21,173 --> 00:17:24,110 unless we are committed to 444 00:17:24,110 --> 00:17:26,479 and good at telling our own story. 445 00:17:26,479 --> 00:17:30,149 Is it weird that we’re talking about Indian stereotypes 446 00:17:30,149 --> 00:17:32,218 and you’re an Indian doctor? 447 00:17:32,218 --> 00:17:34,448 Is that strange in the slightest to you? 448 00:17:34,453 --> 00:17:35,753 Hari: But getting an honest story 449 00:17:35,755 --> 00:17:39,358 into the mainstream is incredibly difficult. 450 00:17:39,358 --> 00:17:42,928 Good morning... It’s Wednesday! 451 00:17:42,929 --> 00:17:44,797 Or Hump Day, according to Jizzy and the Wiz 452 00:17:44,797 --> 00:17:46,997 on 102.7, "The Octopus," 453 00:17:46,999 --> 00:17:51,899 Rancho Cucamonga’s number‐one all‐’80s rock station! 454 00:17:51,904 --> 00:17:53,306 Rao: This is a father‐son story. 455 00:17:53,306 --> 00:17:55,536 This is really about how you dealt with these two cultures ‐‐ 456 00:17:55,541 --> 00:17:57,141 this Indian household that were living in 457 00:17:57,143 --> 00:17:59,078 and this American culture that you were now a part of. 458 00:17:59,078 --> 00:18:00,508 We were in a meeting at Fox one day, 459 00:18:00,513 --> 00:18:01,647 and everybody had to stand up 460 00:18:01,647 --> 00:18:04,547 and say what their role was on the pilot. 461 00:18:04,550 --> 00:18:06,519 So, "Hi, I’m so‐and‐so. I’m Executive Producer." 462 00:18:06,519 --> 00:18:09,455 "Hi, I’m so‐and‐so. I’m the script supervisor." 463 00:18:09,455 --> 00:18:12,415 I stood up and I go, "Hi, Rohitash Rao, and I’m Indian." 464 00:18:12,425 --> 00:18:13,859 That’s all I had to say, 465 00:18:13,859 --> 00:18:15,389 ’cause I was the only one in the room 466 00:18:15,394 --> 00:18:16,562 that could say that. Ooh. 467 00:18:16,562 --> 00:18:18,097 And I looked around the room and I’m like, 468 00:18:18,097 --> 00:18:19,697 "What are we getting into? 469 00:18:19,699 --> 00:18:22,399 How are we making an Indian show right now?" 470 00:18:22,401 --> 00:18:23,936 Like, "How are we together? 471 00:18:23,936 --> 00:18:25,196 How is this gonna work?" 472 00:18:25,204 --> 00:18:27,773 And from that moment, I’m like, "I think we’re [bleep]" 473 00:18:27,773 --> 00:18:31,143 There’s this idea that, okay, well, 474 00:18:31,143 --> 00:18:33,980 if there’s four white people, anybody will watch it. 475 00:18:33,980 --> 00:18:35,548 That’s mainstream. That’s accessible. Right. 476 00:18:35,548 --> 00:18:39,418 But if it’s four Asian people or four black people, 477 00:18:39,418 --> 00:18:41,118 it becomes like, "Oh, this is a black show," 478 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:42,488 or, "This is a black movie." 479 00:18:42,488 --> 00:18:44,818 I guess it just boils down to, like, why is it that 480 00:18:44,824 --> 00:18:46,092 when there’s a show full of white people, 481 00:18:46,092 --> 00:18:48,127 that’s considered okay and mainstream? 482 00:18:48,127 --> 00:18:50,096 Right. If it’s funny and interesting, 483 00:18:50,096 --> 00:18:53,026 I don’t really care who’s in it, you know. 484 00:18:53,032 --> 00:18:56,168 We watch animated movies that are about fish. 485 00:18:56,168 --> 00:18:57,236 [ Chuckling ] Right. 486 00:18:57,236 --> 00:18:59,036 What bothered me most about Apu 487 00:18:59,038 --> 00:19:01,438 was the way he stood in for my parents, 488 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:03,809 replacing their real stories, their real struggles, 489 00:19:03,809 --> 00:19:05,939 and their really complicated lives 490 00:19:05,945 --> 00:19:08,147 with a [bleep] accent. 491 00:19:08,147 --> 00:19:10,016 My dad was an English major, so his command 492 00:19:10,016 --> 00:19:11,446 of the English language was ridiculous. 493 00:19:11,450 --> 00:19:13,019 And so he wanted to be a writer. 494 00:19:13,019 --> 00:19:16,519 My dad wrote, sent in his application, 495 00:19:16,522 --> 00:19:18,057 and, you know, they see "Eric Peters" 496 00:19:18,057 --> 00:19:19,887 and they read it and how well written it is, 497 00:19:19,892 --> 00:19:21,160 They’re like, "Oh, perfect. 498 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:23,129 Let’s bring this guy in." My dad walked in. 499 00:19:23,129 --> 00:19:24,529 My dad looked very much like you. 500 00:19:24,530 --> 00:19:26,766 They’re like, "Sorry, sir. The job’s been filled." 501 00:19:26,766 --> 00:19:29,466 And then he just had to take a job as a meat inspector 502 00:19:29,468 --> 00:19:30,768 for the rest of his life, you know. 503 00:19:30,770 --> 00:19:33,606 My mom, who grew up in a middle‐class family, 504 00:19:33,606 --> 00:19:35,006 but that was very ‐‐ in a society 505 00:19:35,007 --> 00:19:36,807 that was very male‐dominated in India 506 00:19:36,809 --> 00:19:40,309 and about what it took for her to get her own education. 507 00:19:40,312 --> 00:19:42,748 When I was growing up, I found it really embarrassing 508 00:19:42,748 --> 00:19:44,348 that my dad wanted to spend so much time with us 509 00:19:44,350 --> 00:19:45,850 to the point where my dad became 510 00:19:45,851 --> 00:19:48,387 the baseball coach of my little league team. 511 00:19:48,387 --> 00:19:51,017 My dad didn’t know baseball. He knew cricket. 512 00:19:51,023 --> 00:19:52,823 So, he would teach us how to play cricket. 513 00:19:52,825 --> 00:19:53,826 [ Chuckles ] 514 00:19:53,826 --> 00:19:55,926 So, we’re trying to swing a bat 515 00:19:55,928 --> 00:19:57,958 like a golf club, you know? 516 00:19:57,963 --> 00:19:59,565 Telling the pitcher to bounce the ball over. 517 00:19:59,565 --> 00:20:01,765 Yeah, look back, and I realize it was only 518 00:20:01,767 --> 00:20:02,997 because it was out of love. 519 00:20:03,002 --> 00:20:04,336 He wanted to spend time with his son. 520 00:20:04,336 --> 00:20:05,696 That’s why he did it. 521 00:20:05,705 --> 00:20:07,807 At the same time, I should say, we were a pretty good team 522 00:20:07,807 --> 00:20:09,307 because we could catch with our bare hands. 523 00:20:09,308 --> 00:20:11,077 [ Laughs ] Like, we got to be pretty good. 524 00:20:11,077 --> 00:20:12,637 Our parents are heroes. 525 00:20:12,645 --> 00:20:15,781 And there are millions of other immigrants like them 526 00:20:15,781 --> 00:20:19,218 how came over in the face of incredible uncertainty, 527 00:20:19,218 --> 00:20:21,787 taking incredible risk, 528 00:20:21,787 --> 00:20:24,056 to build a life in a new country. 529 00:20:24,056 --> 00:20:25,986 ♪ 530 00:20:25,991 --> 00:20:28,227 Racist depictions of minority groups 531 00:20:28,227 --> 00:20:31,857 is as American as...racism. 532 00:20:31,864 --> 00:20:34,300 From advertising to political cartoons 533 00:20:34,300 --> 00:20:35,700 to vaudeville to... 534 00:20:35,701 --> 00:20:38,001 Meet me at the zoo in the morning at 9:00. 535 00:20:38,003 --> 00:20:39,739 Yeah, with the rest of the monkeys? 536 00:20:39,739 --> 00:20:40,806 With the rest of the monkeys. 537 00:20:40,806 --> 00:20:42,936 Yeah, I’ll bring my grandpa with me. 538 00:20:42,942 --> 00:20:44,910 Dear God! 539 00:20:44,910 --> 00:20:47,880 I decided I needed to talk to an expert on the matter, 540 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,080 someone with an EGOT. 541 00:20:51,083 --> 00:20:52,752 [ Sips ] 542 00:20:52,752 --> 00:20:56,889 Can you define minstrelsy and briefly discuss, 543 00:20:56,889 --> 00:20:58,689 like, the history of minstrelsy? 544 00:20:58,691 --> 00:21:02,027 Minstrel shows began 545 00:21:02,027 --> 00:21:03,896 when white people decided 546 00:21:03,896 --> 00:21:05,596 they wanted to be able to do the cake walk. 547 00:21:05,598 --> 00:21:08,898 Because there were not black folks on stage, 548 00:21:08,901 --> 00:21:10,701 so white people dressed as black people 549 00:21:10,703 --> 00:21:12,271 and put on the blackface. 550 00:21:12,271 --> 00:21:13,606 I wanted to ask you 551 00:21:13,606 --> 00:21:15,706 about your collection of black Americana. 552 00:21:15,708 --> 00:21:17,376 You have a very large personal collection. 553 00:21:17,376 --> 00:21:18,836 I call it Negrobilia. 554 00:21:18,844 --> 00:21:20,679 A lot of racist imagery. Mm‐hmm. 555 00:21:20,679 --> 00:21:22,079 It’s blackface. Yeah. 556 00:21:22,081 --> 00:21:27,286 It’s clearly stuff that was made to mock black people. 557 00:21:27,286 --> 00:21:29,216 I don’t even think it was that deep. 558 00:21:29,221 --> 00:21:30,821 Really? Yeah. 559 00:21:30,823 --> 00:21:34,927 I have this thing from the Coon Chicken Inn. 560 00:21:34,927 --> 00:21:36,996 That was the name of a restaurant. 561 00:21:36,996 --> 00:21:38,396 I don’t think they were thinking, 562 00:21:38,397 --> 00:21:41,367 "Oh, we gonna get ’em now!" [ Laughs ] 563 00:21:41,367 --> 00:21:43,936 I think they were like, "That’s funny." 564 00:21:43,936 --> 00:21:45,666 What else is in the collection? 565 00:21:45,671 --> 00:21:49,008 One of my favorite is a German postcard. 566 00:21:49,008 --> 00:21:51,608 There’s a little white girl, a little white boy, 567 00:21:51,610 --> 00:21:54,480 and this other little blackface is in the middle. 568 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:55,948 And she says to him, 569 00:21:55,948 --> 00:21:57,948 "Lick him and see if he’s chocolate." 570 00:21:57,950 --> 00:21:59,580 [ Gasps ] 571 00:21:59,585 --> 00:22:02,988 If you’ve never seen black people... 572 00:22:02,988 --> 00:22:04,918 we look chocolate. 573 00:22:04,924 --> 00:22:06,058 So, you’re telling me there might’ve been 574 00:22:06,058 --> 00:22:07,626 an epidemic at some point, 575 00:22:07,626 --> 00:22:10,356 where people were licking black people to see 576 00:22:10,362 --> 00:22:11,562 if they tasted like chocolate? Yeah. 577 00:22:11,564 --> 00:22:13,599 And if you played your cards right, 578 00:22:13,599 --> 00:22:15,099 you could make it work for you, too. 579 00:22:15,100 --> 00:22:17,636 [ Laughs ] 580 00:22:17,636 --> 00:22:20,136 And I’m a big believer in facing it. 581 00:22:20,139 --> 00:22:22,169 You’ve got to see what it was. 582 00:22:22,174 --> 00:22:24,443 So that’s why you have the collection. Yeah. 583 00:22:24,443 --> 00:22:26,478 But it doesn’t horrify you when you see it? 584 00:22:26,478 --> 00:22:30,015 No, no. No. Not at all? 585 00:22:30,015 --> 00:22:35,385 No, because when you deal with ignorance, 586 00:22:35,387 --> 00:22:36,617 how can you be pissed off? 587 00:22:36,622 --> 00:22:37,957 They don’t know any better. 588 00:22:37,957 --> 00:22:39,017 They’re trying to make a living. 589 00:22:39,024 --> 00:22:41,193 They’re making cookie jars. 590 00:22:41,193 --> 00:22:42,828 Hari: But Hank isn’t ignorant. 591 00:22:42,828 --> 00:22:44,897 He knows there’s a problem with Apu, 592 00:22:44,897 --> 00:22:47,266 yet he still does this. 593 00:22:47,266 --> 00:22:49,396 [ As Apu ] Remember, please, children, that in life, 594 00:22:49,401 --> 00:22:52,571 there is nothing that is not so disgusting 595 00:22:52,571 --> 00:22:54,840 that it cannot be sold on a heated roller 596 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:56,675 at a nearly criminal mark‐up. 597 00:22:56,675 --> 00:22:58,905 [ Laughter ] 598 00:22:58,911 --> 00:23:01,580 Based on your definition of minstrelsy, 599 00:23:01,580 --> 00:23:03,549 does Apu count as a minstrel 600 00:23:03,549 --> 00:23:05,149 since it’s brown paint, 601 00:23:05,150 --> 00:23:06,418 a white guy’s voice? 602 00:23:06,418 --> 00:23:08,487 I would say so, 603 00:23:08,487 --> 00:23:10,317 but he’s not singing and dancing, is he? 604 00:23:10,322 --> 00:23:11,422 Aah! 605 00:23:11,423 --> 00:23:13,325 ♪ Who needs the Kwik‐E‐Mart ♪ 606 00:23:13,325 --> 00:23:15,455 ♪ Now, here’s the tricky part ♪ 607 00:23:15,461 --> 00:23:18,697 ♪ Oh, won’t you rhyme with me? ♪ 608 00:23:18,697 --> 00:23:19,827 Yeah, there’s ‐‐ there’s ‐‐ 609 00:23:19,832 --> 00:23:21,432 Okay, then, he’s in the minstrel show, too. 610 00:23:21,433 --> 00:23:22,501 [ Laughs ] 611 00:23:22,501 --> 00:23:24,136 If he’s singing and dancing, he’s in. 612 00:23:24,136 --> 00:23:25,036 He has all the qualifications. 613 00:23:25,037 --> 00:23:26,705 He has all the qualifications. 614 00:23:26,705 --> 00:23:30,105 Maybe if Hank realized Apu is no different than this 615 00:23:30,109 --> 00:23:31,509 or this... 616 00:23:31,510 --> 00:23:33,210 or this, 617 00:23:33,212 --> 00:23:36,782 he might, I don’t know, stop. 618 00:23:36,782 --> 00:23:38,717 We needed to talk to Hank Azaria. 619 00:23:38,717 --> 00:23:40,917 And, luckily, I have agents. 620 00:23:42,421 --> 00:23:44,521 Hey, man. It’s Hari. Agent: Hey, Hari. 621 00:23:44,523 --> 00:23:47,826 Yeah, I was just wondering if we have any news about Hank, 622 00:23:47,826 --> 00:23:50,526 like, if anyone has said anything from his camp 623 00:23:50,529 --> 00:23:52,097 about, like, doing the film. 624 00:23:52,097 --> 00:23:54,566 Yeah, check your e‐mail.  You sent me an e‐mail? 625 00:23:54,566 --> 00:23:56,766 Uh‐huh. You’re gonna want to read it. 626 00:23:56,769 --> 00:24:00,105 Okay, so, it’s a forward from his publicist. 627 00:24:00,105 --> 00:24:04,675 "Hank wanted me to pass this article on to you." 628 00:24:06,011 --> 00:24:08,280 And it’s the same Huff‐Po article 629 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:09,648 that me and him were both quoted in, 630 00:24:09,648 --> 00:24:10,648 like, three years ago. 631 00:24:10,649 --> 00:24:12,318 So he’s, basically, saying that 632 00:24:12,318 --> 00:24:13,886 he doesn’t want to do the film 633 00:24:13,886 --> 00:24:16,555 and he’s not gonna talk about it anymore. 634 00:24:16,555 --> 00:24:18,655 You okay?  No, I’m fine. 635 00:24:18,657 --> 00:24:20,387 You sure?  No, I’m okay. 636 00:24:20,392 --> 00:24:21,827 No, I’m okay. I’m fine. 637 00:24:21,827 --> 00:24:23,495 Look, we’ll give him a beep...  Yeah. 638 00:24:23,495 --> 00:24:24,755 ...and we’ll figure out   the next steps. 639 00:24:24,763 --> 00:24:26,765 Okay. Bye. 640 00:24:26,765 --> 00:24:29,895 ♪ 641 00:24:37,176 --> 00:24:38,706 [ Banging, rattling ] 642 00:24:38,711 --> 00:24:40,911 Hari: [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] 643 00:24:43,415 --> 00:24:44,945 [Bleep] 644 00:24:48,420 --> 00:24:51,060 ♪ 645 00:24:52,758 --> 00:24:55,027 Hari: Well, it’s been months, 646 00:24:55,027 --> 00:24:57,627 and Hank Azaria appears to be ignoring my requests 647 00:24:57,629 --> 00:24:59,759 to talk about Apu on camera. 648 00:24:59,765 --> 00:25:01,433 If I don’t get him to retire the voice, 649 00:25:01,433 --> 00:25:03,602 this whole thing is a failure! 650 00:25:03,602 --> 00:25:07,339 And by thing, I might possibly mean my career. 651 00:25:07,339 --> 00:25:09,539 So I decided to "Politically Re‐Active," 652 00:25:09,541 --> 00:25:11,010 my podcast with Kamau, 653 00:25:11,010 --> 00:25:13,310 to sic my fans on Hank. 654 00:25:13,312 --> 00:25:15,512 Bell: So, Hari, you’re working on something too, aren’t you? 655 00:25:15,514 --> 00:25:18,283 Yes, I am, Kamau. Thank you for asking. 656 00:25:18,283 --> 00:25:22,221 I’m making a documentary about Apu from "The Simpsons," 657 00:25:22,221 --> 00:25:24,790 which I am very excited about. 658 00:25:24,790 --> 00:25:26,790 We’re trying to get Hank Azaria to be in the film. 659 00:25:26,792 --> 00:25:28,227 He’s the voice of Apu. 660 00:25:28,227 --> 00:25:31,427 Tweet @HankAzaria that he should be in my movie, right. 661 00:25:31,430 --> 00:25:34,430 Sample tweet ‐‐ Dear @HankAzaria, please talk 662 00:25:34,433 --> 00:25:37,903 to @HariKonadabolu about Apu for his documentary 663 00:25:37,903 --> 00:25:40,773 #Apu2016. 664 00:25:40,773 --> 00:25:42,241 Now, let’s get this thing trending. 665 00:25:42,241 --> 00:25:43,741 Let’s see if Hank will be in this movie. 666 00:25:43,742 --> 00:25:45,342 Are you sure you don’t wanna come? 667 00:25:45,344 --> 00:25:46,745 In a Civil War re‐enactment, 668 00:25:46,745 --> 00:25:48,605 we need lots of Indians to shoot. 669 00:25:48,614 --> 00:25:52,351 I don’t know which part of that sentence to correct first. 670 00:25:52,351 --> 00:25:54,851 There was a guy, the year after "Harold & Kumar" came out. 671 00:25:54,853 --> 00:25:56,422 I was walking down the street. He was kind of drunk. 672 00:25:56,422 --> 00:25:59,222 He stumbled out of a bar, Indian guy, and he goes, 673 00:25:59,224 --> 00:26:03,862 "Hey, I get called Kumar all the time because of you." 674 00:26:03,862 --> 00:26:05,631 And I just looked at him and was like, 675 00:26:05,631 --> 00:26:07,800 "It’s better than Apu, isn’t it?" Yeah, right. 676 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:09,268 And he goes, "Yeah. 677 00:26:09,268 --> 00:26:10,836 Yeah!" 678 00:26:10,836 --> 00:26:15,406 Can you name any other, like, famous Indian‐Americans? 679 00:26:15,407 --> 00:26:16,437 There was ‐‐ 680 00:26:16,442 --> 00:26:18,710 But he wasn’t even East Indian. 681 00:26:18,710 --> 00:26:20,510 It was the actor from Johnny 5. 682 00:26:22,481 --> 00:26:25,117 Is that a yes or the number of your intelligence quotient, hmm? 683 00:26:25,117 --> 00:26:26,685 But he wasn’t even East Indian. 684 00:26:26,685 --> 00:26:27,985 No, Fisher Stevens. 685 00:26:27,986 --> 00:26:30,686 I found out he wasn’t Indian three years ago. Yeah! 686 00:26:30,689 --> 00:26:32,689 I mean, you never had the feeling that, 687 00:26:32,691 --> 00:26:34,026 like, at least we have something? 688 00:26:34,026 --> 00:26:35,086 With Apu? Yeah. 689 00:26:35,094 --> 00:26:36,361 Hell, no! Never? 690 00:26:36,361 --> 00:26:37,496 No, it’s the same as 691 00:26:37,496 --> 00:26:38,756 "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." 692 00:26:38,764 --> 00:26:39,832 How many white folks in brownface, 693 00:26:39,832 --> 00:26:41,732 eating monkey brains are you gonna deal with? 694 00:26:41,733 --> 00:26:45,043 ♪ 695 00:26:46,572 --> 00:26:48,942 Chilled monkey brains. 696 00:26:52,211 --> 00:26:54,146 Are there any roles you regret? 697 00:26:54,146 --> 00:26:55,476 No. None? 698 00:26:55,481 --> 00:26:57,381 Let me think before I actually answer that question. 699 00:26:57,382 --> 00:26:58,782 I’m so used to doing these interviews 700 00:26:58,784 --> 00:27:00,252 where that’s where you’re supposed to say. Yeah. 701 00:27:00,252 --> 00:27:02,121 Hari: If you’re a Southasian‐American 702 00:27:02,121 --> 00:27:03,856 and you dream of being an actor, 703 00:27:03,856 --> 00:27:05,786 your choices are pretty limited. 704 00:27:05,791 --> 00:27:07,191 You either portray your community 705 00:27:07,192 --> 00:27:09,928 as one‐dimensional with hopes of better work, 706 00:27:09,928 --> 00:27:11,728 or you let somebody else do it. 707 00:27:11,730 --> 00:27:15,430 It begs the question, is it better to be clowned 708 00:27:15,434 --> 00:27:17,002 or to clown yourself? 709 00:27:17,002 --> 00:27:19,702 I had a bread‐and‐butter role that I did for years, 710 00:27:19,705 --> 00:27:23,142 which was the weeping ethnic mom 711 00:27:23,142 --> 00:27:26,645 of potential rapist or murderers. 712 00:27:26,645 --> 00:27:29,375 It is a mother’s duty to protect her son! 713 00:27:29,381 --> 00:27:32,781 I was playing Achmed, the foreign‐exchange student. 714 00:27:32,784 --> 00:27:37,189 And I was wearing a turban and eating fried camel, 715 00:27:37,189 --> 00:27:40,325 doing these kind of, like, weird Indian dances. 716 00:27:40,325 --> 00:27:46,355 From, like, 1991 till, like, ’96, ’97, 717 00:27:46,365 --> 00:27:48,600 is all just, literally, cabbie, 718 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,300 cabbie, cabbie, deli, deli, deli... 719 00:27:51,303 --> 00:27:52,343 [ Chuckles ] 720 00:27:54,339 --> 00:27:55,607 ...doctor. 721 00:27:55,607 --> 00:27:57,276 One of the first movies I did was a movie called 722 00:27:57,276 --> 00:27:59,236 "Van Wilder" with Ryan Reynolds, 723 00:27:59,244 --> 00:28:01,847 and I played an Indian exchange student. 724 00:28:01,847 --> 00:28:04,677 And I remember very clearly getting a phone call 725 00:28:04,683 --> 00:28:06,985 from my agent at the time, and she said, 726 00:28:06,985 --> 00:28:08,815 "Hey, I’ve got this audition for you. 727 00:28:08,820 --> 00:28:10,620 It’s a supporting lead in a movie." 728 00:28:10,622 --> 00:28:13,792 She goes, "Okay, the character’s name... 729 00:28:13,792 --> 00:28:14,792 is Taj Mahal. 730 00:28:14,793 --> 00:28:17,229 I’m Taj...Mahal. 731 00:28:17,229 --> 00:28:19,998 And I hung up the phone, and she calls me back. 732 00:28:19,998 --> 00:28:21,867 And she’s like, "I knew you were gonna do that." I’m like, "Well, yeah!" 733 00:28:21,867 --> 00:28:23,867 I mean, I didn’t major in Theater and Film 734 00:28:23,869 --> 00:28:26,069 to play Taj Mahal. Right. 735 00:28:26,071 --> 00:28:29,208 She said, "Look, it’s almost impossible for me 736 00:28:29,208 --> 00:28:31,808 to sell you without any credits ‐‐ 737 00:28:31,810 --> 00:28:33,310 any legitimate credits on your resumé. 738 00:28:33,312 --> 00:28:34,712 And I know that you probably won’t want 739 00:28:34,713 --> 00:28:36,248 to do something like this, but I would really 740 00:28:36,248 --> 00:28:37,716 strongly urge you to take a look at it." 741 00:28:37,716 --> 00:28:41,546 Was there ever any hesitation when you were asked to do 742 00:28:41,553 --> 00:28:42,988 an Indian accent in the casting room? 743 00:28:42,988 --> 00:28:44,418 I always thought to myself, like, "Look, 744 00:28:44,423 --> 00:28:45,723 if this is a really cool part, 745 00:28:45,724 --> 00:28:47,359 if the guy happens to be an Indian guy, 746 00:28:47,359 --> 00:28:49,859 if I take the part, I accept the responsibility 747 00:28:49,861 --> 00:28:51,261 of lending the character 748 00:28:51,263 --> 00:28:53,031 more dignity than what’s written there, 749 00:28:53,031 --> 00:28:54,566 and to be able to challenge the director 750 00:28:54,566 --> 00:28:55,766 and the creatives 751 00:28:55,767 --> 00:28:58,197 and, hopefully, not be fired for that." 752 00:28:58,203 --> 00:29:01,740 So, how easily can something turn into a racist meme? 753 00:29:01,740 --> 00:29:04,140 Well, despite only being said eight times 754 00:29:04,142 --> 00:29:06,642 over the entire course of "The Simpsons" history, 755 00:29:06,645 --> 00:29:07,913 "Thank you, come again" 756 00:29:07,913 --> 00:29:09,413 has haunted Indian children 757 00:29:09,414 --> 00:29:11,583 for over a quarter century. 758 00:29:11,583 --> 00:29:12,883 Why? 759 00:29:12,884 --> 00:29:14,953 It’s funny because it’s racist. 760 00:29:14,953 --> 00:29:17,155 Uh...this could take a while, folks. 761 00:29:17,155 --> 00:29:18,585 Thank you, come again. 762 00:29:18,590 --> 00:29:20,790 How would you define "patanking" 763 00:29:20,792 --> 00:29:22,592 if you were to explain what that means? 764 00:29:22,594 --> 00:29:27,132 Patanking is being asked to speak 765 00:29:27,132 --> 00:29:31,370 in a broad Indian accent with broad acting. 766 00:29:31,370 --> 00:29:33,138 [ Exaggerated Indian accent ] They want the accent to sound like this, 767 00:29:33,138 --> 00:29:35,368 and they want your tongue to be really pulled back. 768 00:29:35,374 --> 00:29:37,175 [ Exaggerated Indian accent ] So, patanking was going into a room 769 00:29:37,175 --> 00:29:39,535 and having to do that exact thing in front of people, 770 00:29:39,544 --> 00:29:40,379 like a monkey. 771 00:29:40,379 --> 00:29:42,249 [ Chittering ] 772 00:29:44,683 --> 00:29:47,386 This voice has caused so much trouble. 773 00:29:47,386 --> 00:29:49,086 So, how did Hank come up with it? 774 00:29:49,087 --> 00:29:51,356 When I first moved to L. A., 775 00:29:51,356 --> 00:29:54,786 most of the 7‐Eleven guys were Indian and Pakistani. 776 00:29:54,793 --> 00:29:56,328 Then also, Peter Sellers in "The Party," 777 00:29:56,328 --> 00:29:58,628 one of my favorite performances ever. 778 00:29:58,630 --> 00:29:59,960 Sir, excuse me. 779 00:29:59,965 --> 00:30:01,933 What is the name of a game 780 00:30:01,933 --> 00:30:04,569 that has a multitude of colored balls like that? 781 00:30:04,569 --> 00:30:05,869 Pool. Poo? 782 00:30:05,871 --> 00:30:07,205 What? Poo? 783 00:30:07,205 --> 00:30:09,005 No, not poo. Pool. 784 00:30:09,007 --> 00:30:10,876 Pool. Pool! Pool! Now you got it. 785 00:30:10,876 --> 00:30:12,406 Ah! Oh, like swimming pool. You got it, honey. 786 00:30:12,411 --> 00:30:14,511 I never heard of a game called Poo. 787 00:30:14,513 --> 00:30:16,013 You know, I’ve since learned 788 00:30:16,014 --> 00:30:18,283 that a lot of Southern Asian people, 789 00:30:18,283 --> 00:30:22,187 found that Peter Sellers portrayal fairly offensive. 790 00:30:22,187 --> 00:30:23,447 No [bleep] 791 00:30:23,455 --> 00:30:24,823 What, did you get Inspector Clouseau 792 00:30:24,823 --> 00:30:26,692 to help you solve that mystery? 793 00:30:26,692 --> 00:30:28,226 [ Chuckles ] Inspector Clouseau. 794 00:30:28,226 --> 00:30:30,456 That’s Peter Sellers. 795 00:30:30,462 --> 00:30:33,062 ♪ 796 00:30:33,065 --> 00:30:37,302 How different is a Southasian actor patanking 797 00:30:37,302 --> 00:30:40,872 versus, like, Hank Azaria doing that voice? 798 00:30:40,872 --> 00:30:42,607 Because as a Southasian actor, 799 00:30:42,607 --> 00:30:45,207 it is part of my cultural heritage. 800 00:30:45,210 --> 00:30:47,679 Hmm. It’s part of, like, what I ‐‐ 801 00:30:47,679 --> 00:30:49,348 what I ow‐‐ It’s mine. 802 00:30:49,348 --> 00:30:52,778 So, like, a white guy doing it sort of feels like 803 00:30:52,784 --> 00:30:57,222 you’re... usurping my culture. 804 00:30:57,222 --> 00:30:58,890 An invasion. A kind of exploitation, 805 00:30:58,890 --> 00:31:03,628 but also kind of like using it to further a narrative 806 00:31:03,628 --> 00:31:06,098 within sort of the larger culture 807 00:31:06,098 --> 00:31:08,066 about me and my people. 808 00:31:08,066 --> 00:31:09,466 You’re never gonna see two Indians guys in a club 809 00:31:09,468 --> 00:31:14,568 standing around going, "Hey, man. Aren’t we cool? 810 00:31:14,573 --> 00:31:17,008 Don’t we sound really hip?" 811 00:31:17,008 --> 00:31:19,138 To a lot of people, I think, you’re known for, 812 00:31:19,144 --> 00:31:20,679 like, incredible accents. 813 00:31:20,679 --> 00:31:23,879 And you’ve done them throughout your career. 814 00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:27,052 There is a criticism of, like, "How come he uses accents? 815 00:31:27,052 --> 00:31:29,152 Is it okay for him to use accents?" 816 00:31:29,154 --> 00:31:30,889 Is that something you’ve had to respond to? 817 00:31:30,889 --> 00:31:33,089 The most commonly asked question is, 818 00:31:33,091 --> 00:31:35,026 "Well, what if a white guy did these jokes?" 819 00:31:35,026 --> 00:31:37,126 And I go, "Don’t get caught up on my color 820 00:31:37,129 --> 00:31:38,897 and don’t get caught up on the words. 821 00:31:38,897 --> 00:31:40,565 Get caught up in the intent." 822 00:31:40,565 --> 00:31:43,965 Most of the 7‐Eleven guys were Indian and Pakistani. 823 00:31:43,969 --> 00:31:45,137 And there was one, in particular, 824 00:31:45,137 --> 00:31:48,437 who lived near me who was pretty crusty. 825 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,076 And I would often have the same exchange with him 826 00:31:51,076 --> 00:31:52,136 all the time. 827 00:31:52,144 --> 00:31:53,945 I would be in line, 828 00:31:53,945 --> 00:31:58,045 buying a drink, and I’d open the Gatorade 829 00:31:58,049 --> 00:32:00,149 before I’m waiting to pay, and he would get annoyed. 830 00:32:00,152 --> 00:32:01,852 [ Indian accent ] "Why do you open your unpaid product there? 831 00:32:01,853 --> 00:32:03,889 Please don’t open that until you have paid." 832 00:32:03,889 --> 00:32:05,089 I’m like... 833 00:32:05,090 --> 00:32:07,359 "Am I running out the store? what am I doing?" 834 00:32:07,359 --> 00:32:09,689 There’s nothing wrong with doing an accent. 835 00:32:09,694 --> 00:32:13,598 An accent is a crucial part of a character. 836 00:32:13,598 --> 00:32:15,398 It’s when the accent 837 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:19,870 lends itself to being part of a joke 838 00:32:19,871 --> 00:32:21,239 about the person, 839 00:32:21,239 --> 00:32:23,208 it’s a racist dig, 840 00:32:23,208 --> 00:32:25,338 that’s when the accent’s problematic. 841 00:32:25,343 --> 00:32:28,046 You know that a white guy does the voice? Huh?! 842 00:32:28,046 --> 00:32:29,206 ’Cause the voice is ‐‐ 843 00:32:29,214 --> 00:32:30,549 It’s actually done by a Hank Azaria, 844 00:32:30,549 --> 00:32:32,279 who’s a white voice actor. 845 00:32:32,284 --> 00:32:34,486 How did you find out it was a white guy that did the voice? 846 00:32:34,486 --> 00:32:36,686 I don’t know. I think, like, after a long time. 847 00:32:36,688 --> 00:32:38,288 I definitely assumed he was Indian. 848 00:32:38,290 --> 00:32:40,290 How do you feel about that? 849 00:32:40,292 --> 00:32:42,092 Oh, I’m making a movie about how much I dislike it. 850 00:32:42,093 --> 00:32:45,530 Finding out just now that it was a white guy 851 00:32:45,530 --> 00:32:46,998 is kind of ‐‐ 852 00:32:46,998 --> 00:32:48,728 that makes me a little bit uncomfortable, for sure. 853 00:32:48,733 --> 00:32:50,101 I don’t know whether ‐‐ 854 00:32:50,101 --> 00:32:52,070 ’cause people, like, imitate him. 855 00:32:52,070 --> 00:32:54,840 I don’t know whether it makes it more or less racist 856 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:57,040 to imitate a white guy pretending to be Indian. 857 00:32:57,042 --> 00:32:58,610 [ Laughs ] 858 00:32:58,610 --> 00:33:00,040 Does that make sense? 859 00:33:00,045 --> 00:33:03,648 I will tell you it makes me equally uncomfortable. 860 00:33:03,648 --> 00:33:08,286 The bottom line was always "what’s funnier?" 861 00:33:08,286 --> 00:33:10,355 Our job is to write a comedy. 862 00:33:10,355 --> 00:33:13,585 The fact is, sober Barney, not funny. 863 00:33:13,592 --> 00:33:14,426 Right. 864 00:33:14,426 --> 00:33:17,256 Out Smithers, not as funny. 865 00:33:17,262 --> 00:33:22,232 Humor comes out of conflict. 866 00:33:22,234 --> 00:33:28,206 And the seven deadly sins and our less ‐‐ 867 00:33:28,206 --> 00:33:30,306 and our more ‐‐ 868 00:33:30,308 --> 00:33:32,308 the aspects of our personality 869 00:33:32,310 --> 00:33:33,710 that we’re maybe not so proud of. 870 00:33:33,712 --> 00:33:35,847 What was Apu’s flaw? 871 00:33:35,847 --> 00:33:38,617 I wouldn’t say he was flawed, 872 00:33:38,617 --> 00:33:43,887 but he was a first‐generation immigrant 873 00:33:43,889 --> 00:33:46,719 with all of the trappings. 874 00:33:46,725 --> 00:33:49,561 But I mean, could you say that a lot of the stuff that Apu says 875 00:33:49,561 --> 00:33:52,697 wouldn’t hit as hard without the accent? 876 00:33:52,697 --> 00:33:56,897 Yeah, well, there are accents that by their nature, 877 00:33:56,902 --> 00:34:00,102 to white Americans, 878 00:34:00,105 --> 00:34:02,374 I can only speak from experience, 879 00:34:02,374 --> 00:34:05,076 sound funny, period. 880 00:34:05,076 --> 00:34:09,046 But there were a lot of people that did not agree with Dana. 881 00:34:09,047 --> 00:34:12,217 And if Hank is anything like me, he definitely checks Twitter 882 00:34:12,217 --> 00:34:14,917 every five minutes, especially on the toilet. 883 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:17,255 The public wants answers, Hank! 884 00:34:17,255 --> 00:34:18,785 [ Toilet flushes ] 885 00:34:24,596 --> 00:34:26,356 Hari: I always loved stand‐up comedy as a kid. 886 00:34:26,364 --> 00:34:28,199 Like, it was, like, magic to me. 887 00:34:28,199 --> 00:34:30,099 Well, I knew that I wanted to do that, 888 00:34:30,101 --> 00:34:31,870 except I was 17 889 00:34:31,870 --> 00:34:33,570 and didn’t have a complicated life. 890 00:34:33,572 --> 00:34:36,641 What I did have was the fact that I was Indian. 891 00:34:36,641 --> 00:34:38,777 Oh, you got that from India! 892 00:34:38,777 --> 00:34:41,207 You got me! 893 00:34:41,212 --> 00:34:44,449 Oh, you got me! [ Laughter ] 894 00:34:44,449 --> 00:34:46,779 I‐I have some chicken dinner in my backpack. 895 00:34:46,785 --> 00:34:48,453 Do you want some? 896 00:34:48,453 --> 00:34:50,353 Hey, rub my belly. I’ll give you three wishes! 897 00:34:50,355 --> 00:34:51,790 Yeah, come on! 898 00:34:51,790 --> 00:34:54,590 So, I milked it as much as I could. 899 00:34:54,593 --> 00:34:57,996 Like, every corny joke about race I could imagine, 900 00:34:57,996 --> 00:34:59,926 like, jokes about curry and taxi cabs, 901 00:34:59,931 --> 00:35:02,131 gas stations, convenience stores, 902 00:35:02,133 --> 00:35:03,835 and it was awful. 903 00:35:03,835 --> 00:35:06,695 And I probably did that for about, 904 00:35:06,705 --> 00:35:08,907 I don’t know, four or five years. 905 00:35:08,907 --> 00:35:10,267 And then, 9/11 happened. 906 00:35:10,275 --> 00:35:11,985 [ Police sirens wailing ] [ Indistinct yelling ] 907 00:35:13,311 --> 00:35:15,080 The world was falling apart, 908 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,080 and I felt more like a minority than ever before. 909 00:35:18,083 --> 00:35:19,250 So why was I on stage, 910 00:35:19,250 --> 00:35:22,050 doing crappy impressions of my parents? 911 00:35:22,053 --> 00:35:26,057 I was minimizing them the same way America always had. 912 00:35:26,057 --> 00:35:28,426 My comedy had to shift from the way people saw me 913 00:35:28,426 --> 00:35:31,396 towards the way I wanted to be seen. 914 00:35:31,396 --> 00:35:32,996 I hate when people say they can’t see color. 915 00:35:32,998 --> 00:35:34,328 Like, "I can’t see race." 916 00:35:34,332 --> 00:35:36,001 If you can’t see race, you can’t see racism. 917 00:35:36,001 --> 00:35:38,301 Then, what good are you to me? You know what I mean? 918 00:35:38,303 --> 00:35:40,338 I hate that [bleep] I hate that. 919 00:35:40,338 --> 00:35:41,768 And people say they can’t see race, 920 00:35:41,773 --> 00:35:44,142 and I think that leads to more racism, like, every year. 921 00:35:44,142 --> 00:35:47,145 Like, when did Halloween turn into racist Christmas, right? 922 00:35:47,145 --> 00:35:48,475 When... 923 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:49,780 When is that the year people think 924 00:35:49,781 --> 00:35:51,781 they can get a pass on being super racist, 925 00:35:51,783 --> 00:35:53,885 wearing blackface or a Geisha outfit or whatever? 926 00:35:53,885 --> 00:35:56,285 Why do they assume that? Every year you see people ‐‐ 927 00:35:56,287 --> 00:35:58,456 White people wearing blackface. It’s not just white people. 928 00:35:58,456 --> 00:36:00,756 It’s also people of color that have chosen their sides. 929 00:36:00,759 --> 00:36:03,589 [ Laughter ] 930 00:36:03,595 --> 00:36:05,997 I would go to the Comedy Zone, and I loved the Comedy Zone. 931 00:36:05,997 --> 00:36:07,927 I’d see all these comics, and they’d put my friends 932 00:36:07,932 --> 00:36:10,201 in the front row ’cause we were brown people. 933 00:36:10,201 --> 00:36:11,601 At first we thought it was great, and then we realized 934 00:36:11,603 --> 00:36:13,772 they’re just gonna pick on us the whole time. 935 00:36:13,772 --> 00:36:15,907 And it wasn’t just one time. It was every time. 936 00:36:15,907 --> 00:36:17,275 It’d be racist [bleep], and I’m like, 937 00:36:17,275 --> 00:36:19,605 "Okay, it’s a joke. You gotta take a joke." 938 00:36:19,611 --> 00:36:22,280 But we never got to reply, ’cause there was never a comic 939 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:25,380 who was gonna go on stage who was Indian‐American... 940 00:36:25,383 --> 00:36:27,485 And defend you guys. There was no response. 941 00:36:27,485 --> 00:36:29,585 And you know, I wanted to be that response. 942 00:36:29,587 --> 00:36:32,917 There’s a kind of complacency that happens in our culture, 943 00:36:32,924 --> 00:36:35,126 like, around that stuff, you know, 944 00:36:35,126 --> 00:36:38,626 where even we start going like, "Oh, it’s funny!" Mm‐hmm. 945 00:36:38,630 --> 00:36:40,999 And this is the insidiousness of racism. 946 00:36:40,999 --> 00:36:44,436 The person who is subjected to it or ‐‐ 947 00:36:44,436 --> 00:36:46,966 is buying into it as sort of a cultural norm. 948 00:36:46,971 --> 00:36:48,707 Like, "It’s not a problem. It’s fine. 949 00:36:48,707 --> 00:36:51,037 What’s the big deal? You’re overreacting." 950 00:36:51,042 --> 00:36:52,342 Hari: One thing people don’t understand 951 00:36:52,343 --> 00:36:55,180 is that something can be really funny 952 00:36:55,180 --> 00:36:59,550 and still wrong or morally questionable. 953 00:36:59,551 --> 00:37:02,751 The fun part about comedy is that you’re transgressive. 954 00:37:02,754 --> 00:37:04,456 Yeah. When you say, "When I see Hank Azaria 955 00:37:04,456 --> 00:37:05,716 I’m gonna kick the [bleep] out of him," 956 00:37:05,724 --> 00:37:07,092 the funny part about that for the audience is 957 00:37:07,092 --> 00:37:08,326 that you’re not kicking the [bleep] out of nobody. 958 00:37:08,326 --> 00:37:09,686 Yeah. So, that’s the line you’re cr‐‐ 959 00:37:09,694 --> 00:37:11,129 Like, "Oh, really? Is that what you’re gonna do?" 960 00:37:11,129 --> 00:37:12,529 But we also relate 961 00:37:12,530 --> 00:37:15,130 to your intense anger or feeling about it. 962 00:37:15,133 --> 00:37:17,033 But we also are not worried about Hank Azaria. 963 00:37:17,035 --> 00:37:19,204 You’re right. Right. You know, he works out. [ Laughs ] 964 00:37:19,204 --> 00:37:21,139 Yeah, right. He’s got a big house. 965 00:37:21,139 --> 00:37:23,169 I’m kicking upward. Yeah, you’re punching upward. 966 00:37:23,174 --> 00:37:24,509 Smithers, you infernal ninny! 967 00:37:24,509 --> 00:37:27,609 Stick your left hoof on that flange now! 968 00:37:27,612 --> 00:37:29,347 Now, pump those scrawny chicken legs, 969 00:37:29,347 --> 00:37:30,877 you stuporous funker! 970 00:37:30,882 --> 00:37:32,917 Can I bust you on something? Go ahead. 971 00:37:32,917 --> 00:37:34,917 Do you think Mr. Burns is one‐dimensional? 972 00:37:34,919 --> 00:37:36,849 I think Mr. Burns is one‐dimensional, 973 00:37:36,855 --> 00:37:40,859 but he is a one‐dimensional caricature of a rich maniac, 974 00:37:40,859 --> 00:37:44,095 which there are many and who have power. Mm‐hmm. 975 00:37:44,095 --> 00:37:46,355 I think an Indian convenience store owner 976 00:37:46,364 --> 00:37:48,133 who’s accented doesn’t have power, 977 00:37:48,133 --> 00:37:50,101 especially in that situation. 978 00:37:50,101 --> 00:37:52,036 And if I believe that we should go after 979 00:37:52,036 --> 00:37:54,436 people with more power as much as we can, 980 00:37:54,439 --> 00:37:57,169 which "The Simpsons" certainly does brilliantly. Right. 981 00:37:57,175 --> 00:37:59,811 To the writers, there’s no difference. 982 00:37:59,811 --> 00:38:02,711 Mr. Burns is funny in these four ways, 983 00:38:02,714 --> 00:38:04,816 Apu is funny in these four ways. 984 00:38:04,816 --> 00:38:06,716 That’s so mechanical, though. 985 00:38:06,718 --> 00:38:08,518 It’s the nature of writing a television show, 986 00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:11,720 when you have to write 22 half‐hour stories a year 987 00:38:11,723 --> 00:38:14,759 for 25 years that don’t repeat themselves. 988 00:38:14,759 --> 00:38:18,929 By the time you got there, was there a sense of, 989 00:38:18,930 --> 00:38:20,260 like, any kind of regret? 990 00:38:20,265 --> 00:38:23,268 Like, "I wish this character wasn’t built this way"? 991 00:38:23,268 --> 00:38:27,198 I think if "The Simpsons" were being done today, 992 00:38:27,205 --> 00:38:29,641 I’m not sure if you could have Apu voiced by Hank. 993 00:38:29,641 --> 00:38:31,910 I mean, do you see that as a good thing or a bad thing? 994 00:38:31,910 --> 00:38:34,546 Is there a value, or is it just the way it is? 995 00:38:34,546 --> 00:38:36,546 I see it as a "thing." 996 00:38:36,548 --> 00:38:40,648 How much do you want to tear at the fabric of the show? 997 00:38:40,652 --> 00:38:45,122 Do you want to pull Apu, a beloved character, 998 00:38:45,123 --> 00:38:47,892 out of the Kwik‐E‐Mart, a beloved setting, 999 00:38:47,892 --> 00:38:52,197 just for the sake of updating that character 1000 00:38:52,197 --> 00:38:55,227 to be less anachronistic? 1001 00:38:55,233 --> 00:38:57,033 How have we been so overlooked 1002 00:38:57,035 --> 00:39:00,004 by the comedy writers I’d grown up idolizing? 1003 00:39:00,004 --> 00:39:01,940 It’s like they didn’t even think of us. 1004 00:39:01,940 --> 00:39:04,475 It influenced, like, our whole class of comedians. Nancherla: Yeah. 1005 00:39:04,475 --> 00:39:06,875 And some of our favorite writers came from there ‐‐ 1006 00:39:06,878 --> 00:39:09,647 Dana Gould, Conan, like, so many. Yeah. 1007 00:39:09,647 --> 00:39:12,777 And to me, I was like, "Oh." 1008 00:39:12,784 --> 00:39:15,353 Like, was that just, like, a blind spot to these people 1009 00:39:15,353 --> 00:39:17,253 that are considered to be comedic geniuses? 1010 00:39:17,255 --> 00:39:19,824 I feel like that still happens in writers’ rooms now. 1011 00:39:19,824 --> 00:39:22,093 It’s like whoever sits at the table, 1012 00:39:22,093 --> 00:39:23,728 informs the discussion. 1013 00:39:23,728 --> 00:39:26,258 So if it’s, like, all white men, 1014 00:39:26,264 --> 00:39:28,132 you’re gonna have someone make an off‐color joke 1015 00:39:28,132 --> 00:39:32,002 and not realize the extent to which it is inappropriate. 1016 00:39:32,003 --> 00:39:34,172 When does the actor have culpability? 1017 00:39:34,172 --> 00:39:37,041 Like, does Hank Azaria have some responsibility, 1018 00:39:37,041 --> 00:39:38,641 or is he just an actor playing a role 1019 00:39:38,643 --> 00:39:40,845 and he was lucky enough to have it for 26 years? 1020 00:39:40,845 --> 00:39:42,705 It’s hard for me to blame the actor. 1021 00:39:42,714 --> 00:39:44,883 It lives in a systemic culture 1022 00:39:44,883 --> 00:39:48,119 of how are Southasians represented. 1023 00:39:48,119 --> 00:39:50,619 If we’re funny just because of an accent 1024 00:39:50,622 --> 00:39:51,890 or just because ‐‐ 1025 00:39:51,890 --> 00:39:54,390 if that’s the only version of us that is seen 1026 00:39:54,392 --> 00:39:56,692 and that’s the only version that’s allowed 1027 00:39:56,694 --> 00:40:01,165 because the audience will accept one version of Southasians, 1028 00:40:01,165 --> 00:40:02,565 they won’t accept something 1029 00:40:02,567 --> 00:40:04,497 that’s nuanced or it’s just not ‐‐ 1030 00:40:04,502 --> 00:40:06,237 it’s too complicated, you know. 1031 00:40:06,237 --> 00:40:09,737 I don’t think Hank Azaria thought about it... 1032 00:40:09,741 --> 00:40:11,041 probably that much. 1033 00:40:11,042 --> 00:40:13,742 It was just a funny character, one among many that he did. 1034 00:40:13,745 --> 00:40:15,480 Hari: I mean, that’s part of comedy, too. 1035 00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:18,116 I mean, I think that the media that is created, 1036 00:40:18,116 --> 00:40:20,216 I mean, part of it is to have a conversation. 1037 00:40:20,218 --> 00:40:22,587 And with stand up, you’re having a conversation. 1038 00:40:22,587 --> 00:40:23,817 You might not be having the conversation 1039 00:40:23,821 --> 00:40:25,421 directly with the performer, 1040 00:40:25,423 --> 00:40:27,625 but the stuff I hear other performers say I think about. 1041 00:40:27,625 --> 00:40:30,355 Like, that’s a lot of people who feel that way. 1042 00:40:30,361 --> 00:40:31,761 It’s not just him. I’m not going after him. 1043 00:40:31,763 --> 00:40:33,197 I’m going after all the people that laughed... Yeah. 1044 00:40:33,197 --> 00:40:34,397 and feel the same way. 1045 00:40:34,399 --> 00:40:36,129 How do I address that point? 1046 00:40:36,134 --> 00:40:37,835 That’s why representation’s important. 1047 00:40:37,835 --> 00:40:39,465 I mean, this is a big discussion. 1048 00:40:39,470 --> 00:40:41,706 And I hope that Hank Azaria understands that 1049 00:40:41,706 --> 00:40:44,066 and sits down and talks to you, because I don’t think 1050 00:40:44,075 --> 00:40:45,810 you’re necessarily going after him. 1051 00:40:45,810 --> 00:40:48,146 But I think he’s a part of this conversation. 1052 00:40:48,146 --> 00:40:50,146 I’ve been trying to get Hank Azaria 1053 00:40:50,148 --> 00:40:51,578 to be in this documentary, 1054 00:40:51,582 --> 00:40:53,451 obviously, because it’s about Apu, 1055 00:40:53,451 --> 00:40:54,719 and he voices Apu. Yeah. 1056 00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:56,249 How do we get him, Dana? 1057 00:40:56,254 --> 00:40:57,388 I don’t know. 1058 00:40:57,388 --> 00:41:01,188 I would be astounded if he would voluntarily 1059 00:41:01,192 --> 00:41:05,196 want to justify any of his voices. 1060 00:41:05,196 --> 00:41:07,565 I still think he should be in the documentary, obviously. 1061 00:41:07,565 --> 00:41:08,995 But, like...Yeah. Well, yeah, sure. 1062 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,436 But I do think that I don’t want ‐‐ 1063 00:41:11,436 --> 00:41:13,796 It’s in your self‐interest to have him in the documentary, 1064 00:41:13,805 --> 00:41:15,974 and it’s in his self‐interest to not be in it. 1065 00:41:15,974 --> 00:41:17,308 ♪ 1066 00:41:17,308 --> 00:41:20,338 It all just seemed so hopeless. 1067 00:41:23,548 --> 00:41:25,878 But then I got an e‐mail from Hank saying 1068 00:41:25,883 --> 00:41:28,486 he might be willing to talk. 1069 00:41:28,486 --> 00:41:29,646 Whoa. 1070 00:41:31,556 --> 00:41:33,186 So, it might be happening. 1071 00:41:33,191 --> 00:41:36,060 Hank Azaria might actually talk to me. 1072 00:41:36,060 --> 00:41:39,897 This is almost very exciting. 1073 00:41:39,897 --> 00:41:42,066 But now what? What am I gonna tell him? 1074 00:41:42,066 --> 00:41:44,396 Just stop doing the voice? 1075 00:41:44,402 --> 00:41:46,938 I need some creative solutions for this mess. 1076 00:41:46,938 --> 00:41:49,307 I don’t know what the solution is to tweak it. 1077 00:41:49,307 --> 00:41:51,476 I don’t know if you can tweak it. 1078 00:41:51,476 --> 00:41:53,236 I also don’t want them to kill Apu, 1079 00:41:53,244 --> 00:41:55,079 although it might actually make a good episode, 1080 00:41:55,079 --> 00:41:56,547 which they’re in desperate need of. 1081 00:41:56,547 --> 00:41:58,147 I was ‐‐ I was thinking about that. 1082 00:41:58,149 --> 00:41:59,449 But the idea of, like, killing 1083 00:41:59,450 --> 00:42:01,786 the Indian immigrant is also upsetting, like... 1084 00:42:01,786 --> 00:42:03,686 Well, he can’t win with you. Right. [ Laughs ] 1085 00:42:03,688 --> 00:42:06,118 What if there’s an episode where he just drops the accent? 1086 00:42:06,124 --> 00:42:08,059 [ Laughter ] He was, like ‐‐ No, I’m serious ‐‐ 1087 00:42:08,059 --> 00:42:10,028 And it was, like, all just an elaborate ruse? 1088 00:42:10,028 --> 00:42:12,797 Hey, brah. Come in and chill‐ax. 1089 00:42:12,797 --> 00:42:15,597 Now, I’m not the only one who’s tried to solve this problem. 1090 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:18,700 "The Simpsons" themselves attempted to in 2016, 1091 00:42:18,703 --> 00:42:20,503 during season 27, 1092 00:42:20,505 --> 00:42:23,374 when they introduced Apu’s Indian‐American nephew 1093 00:42:23,374 --> 00:42:25,576 voiced by Utkarsh Ambudkar. 1094 00:42:25,576 --> 00:42:28,376 So, you did the voice of Apu’s nephew, 1095 00:42:28,379 --> 00:42:31,015 who was the first Indian‐ American character on that show. 1096 00:42:31,015 --> 00:42:32,345 How did they approach you about that? 1097 00:42:32,350 --> 00:42:33,480 I got an offer. 1098 00:42:33,484 --> 00:42:36,654 I got this super‐cool letter 1099 00:42:36,654 --> 00:42:39,223 with "The Simpsons" heading that said, 1100 00:42:39,223 --> 00:42:40,558 "Dear," you know, 1101 00:42:40,558 --> 00:42:42,688 "Utkarsh, will you come and be on the show?" 1102 00:42:42,693 --> 00:42:46,363 And at that point I’m just like, "Sweet sweet sweet, Simpsons... 1103 00:42:46,364 --> 00:42:48,332 Oh, man. I know how this goes. 1104 00:42:48,332 --> 00:42:49,767 Do I have to do an accent?" 1105 00:42:49,767 --> 00:42:51,397 "No, we don’t want you to do an accent. 1106 00:42:51,402 --> 00:42:53,838 We’ve been getting a lot of heat," whatever it is. 1107 00:42:53,838 --> 00:42:56,307 "We want to present an Indian‐American." 1108 00:42:56,307 --> 00:42:57,537 Check it. 1109 00:42:57,542 --> 00:42:58,776 I just bitch‐slapped your Kwik‐E‐Mart 1110 00:42:58,776 --> 00:43:01,376 into the 21st Century! 1111 00:43:01,379 --> 00:43:04,749 There’s a moment where I’m, like, bashing Apu. 1112 00:43:04,749 --> 00:43:06,349 And I’m like, "You’re a stereotype! 1113 00:43:06,350 --> 00:43:07,785 Why do you talk like that?" 1114 00:43:07,785 --> 00:43:10,245 And I had an "alt," where I was like, 1115 00:43:10,254 --> 00:43:12,757 "You sound like a white guy 1116 00:43:12,757 --> 00:43:16,087 doing a bad version of an Indian accent." 1117 00:43:16,094 --> 00:43:18,396 I’ll say that, and then you cut 1118 00:43:18,396 --> 00:43:21,226 to the real Hank Azaria in the booth. 1119 00:43:21,232 --> 00:43:22,832 That’s so good! 1120 00:43:22,834 --> 00:43:26,304 Look, and have him look at the camera. That’s so good! 1121 00:43:26,304 --> 00:43:27,839 And then, cut back to the cartoon. 1122 00:43:27,839 --> 00:43:29,707 That, like, solves the thing. 1123 00:43:29,707 --> 00:43:31,207 Did you do the take? 1124 00:43:31,209 --> 00:43:32,376 I did. 1125 00:43:32,376 --> 00:43:34,006 But, uh... But they weren’t having it. 1126 00:43:34,011 --> 00:43:37,181 Was there ever a moment of second‐guessing, 1127 00:43:37,181 --> 00:43:38,416 or was there ever a moment of regret, 1128 00:43:38,416 --> 00:43:39,876 "Maybe I shouldn’t have, 1129 00:43:39,884 --> 00:43:42,186 maybe I’m taking them off the hook by doing this." 1130 00:43:42,186 --> 00:43:44,046 Like, was there ever that? 1131 00:43:44,055 --> 00:43:46,324 Oh, yeah, when I watched it. 1132 00:43:46,324 --> 00:43:47,992 Really? Well, yeah. 1133 00:43:47,992 --> 00:43:52,396 I mean... "The Simpsons" wins. 1134 00:43:52,396 --> 00:43:53,526 I wanted to win. 1135 00:43:53,531 --> 00:43:55,266 You’re my uncle, brah, and I love you. 1136 00:43:55,266 --> 00:43:57,126 But you’re a stereotype, man! 1137 00:43:57,135 --> 00:44:00,505 "Take a penny, leave a penny. I’m Indian. I do yoga." 1138 00:44:00,505 --> 00:44:02,640 Why don’t you go back to the "Temple of Doom," 1139 00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:04,208 Dr. Jones?" 1140 00:44:04,208 --> 00:44:06,138 He leaves, and then an Italian guy comes out 1141 00:44:06,144 --> 00:44:07,645 who’s the full‐blown stereotype. 1142 00:44:07,645 --> 00:44:09,775 [ Exaggerated Italian accent ] Stereotype‐a? 1143 00:44:09,780 --> 00:44:13,850 Who’s a stereotype‐a? That’s a spicy accusation! 1144 00:44:13,851 --> 00:44:15,586 You pipe down! Hey! 1145 00:44:15,586 --> 00:44:17,186 And it’s like "The Simpsons", the show, 1146 00:44:17,188 --> 00:44:19,457 being like, "Stop complaining. 1147 00:44:19,457 --> 00:44:21,187 We do this to everyone." 1148 00:44:21,192 --> 00:44:25,096 Okay, so, "The Simpsons" gave us a less‐than‐satisfying answer 1149 00:44:25,096 --> 00:44:26,726 to this Apu problem. 1150 00:44:26,731 --> 00:44:30,368 And now Hank had an opportunity to change this. 1151 00:44:30,368 --> 00:44:33,037 "Hey, Hari, thanks for sending me those clips. 1152 00:44:33,037 --> 00:44:34,405 The film looks really interesting 1153 00:44:34,405 --> 00:44:35,605 and thought‐provoking. 1154 00:44:35,606 --> 00:44:37,106 I’m glad you’re making it. 1155 00:44:37,108 --> 00:44:41,145 Having said that..." That’s not good, okay. 1156 00:44:41,145 --> 00:44:42,275 "Having said that, 1157 00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:44,620 it’s not something I can participate in. 1158 00:44:49,086 --> 00:44:50,846 I’m not comfortable, one, 1159 00:44:50,855 --> 00:44:53,090 speaking on behalf of the whole show, 1160 00:44:53,090 --> 00:44:56,990 two, throwing myself upon the mercy of your edit. 1161 00:44:56,994 --> 00:44:58,663 It’s nothing against you. 1162 00:44:58,663 --> 00:45:02,300 As I said, I think what you’re doing is great. 1163 00:45:02,300 --> 00:45:04,368 I would definitely be open to reconnecting 1164 00:45:04,368 --> 00:45:05,898 after the film is finished 1165 00:45:05,903 --> 00:45:09,307 and finding a mutually‐acceptable forum 1166 00:45:09,307 --> 00:45:12,137 for us to have a conversation about this. 1167 00:45:12,143 --> 00:45:15,479 If that still interests you, let me know. 1168 00:45:15,479 --> 00:45:17,109 All the best to you, Hari, 1169 00:45:17,114 --> 00:45:20,324 and keep up the great work. Hank." 1170 00:45:23,154 --> 00:45:25,089 That’s great that he ‐‐ 1171 00:45:25,089 --> 00:45:29,227 He gets to choose how he wants to be portrayed. 1172 00:45:29,227 --> 00:45:30,557 What a privilege. 1173 00:45:30,561 --> 00:45:35,700 He gets to choose how he is viewed by other people. 1174 00:45:35,700 --> 00:45:37,768 So [bleep] ironic. 1175 00:45:37,768 --> 00:45:41,268 ♪ I like to have fun ♪ 1176 00:45:41,272 --> 00:45:43,908 ♪ And stick out my tongue ♪ 1177 00:45:43,908 --> 00:45:49,547 Wow. So, this whole thing was a giant waste of time and money! 1178 00:45:49,547 --> 00:45:51,415 Luckily, it was somebody else’s money, 1179 00:45:51,415 --> 00:45:54,275 but still, nothing was solved! 1180 00:45:55,586 --> 00:45:58,186 We never got to those responsible. 1181 00:45:58,189 --> 00:46:02,326 It was just some film about some cartoon character. 1182 00:46:02,326 --> 00:46:04,656 Or maybe it wasn’t. 1183 00:46:04,662 --> 00:46:08,699 You’re showing a kid, a comedian, a filmmaker, 1184 00:46:08,699 --> 00:46:10,799 an actor, a musician, 1185 00:46:10,801 --> 00:46:13,001 who’s Indian, Southasian‐American, 1186 00:46:13,004 --> 00:46:14,438 that they can do this 1187 00:46:14,438 --> 00:46:16,468 and it can make it on television and film. 1188 00:46:16,474 --> 00:46:18,542 And you’re not a computer dude right now. 1189 00:46:18,542 --> 00:46:20,177 You’re not an asexual being. 1190 00:46:20,177 --> 00:46:23,047 We wrote the "Kama Sutra." We taught you how to [bleep] 1191 00:46:23,047 --> 00:46:26,217 You’re building, and I think this is the way 1192 00:46:26,217 --> 00:46:28,347 to move forward 1193 00:46:28,352 --> 00:46:30,921 and create sort of a ‐‐ 1194 00:46:30,921 --> 00:46:33,557 a blueprint for the generations to come. 1195 00:46:33,557 --> 00:46:35,726 Here we go! 1196 00:46:35,726 --> 00:46:37,486 There has been undeniable progress 1197 00:46:37,495 --> 00:46:39,563 for Southasian‐American representation 1198 00:46:39,563 --> 00:46:41,098 over the last decade. 1199 00:46:41,098 --> 00:46:42,867 I mean, Aziz has a show. 1200 00:46:42,867 --> 00:46:44,467 Mindy has a show. 1201 00:46:44,468 --> 00:46:46,537 I certainly deserve a show. 1202 00:46:46,537 --> 00:46:48,306 However, we still have room to grow, 1203 00:46:48,306 --> 00:46:50,066 considering I know almost every 1204 00:46:50,074 --> 00:46:52,243 Southasian‐American in the media. 1205 00:46:52,243 --> 00:46:54,545 And half of them are in this film. 1206 00:46:54,545 --> 00:46:57,305 And now a different group of Indians... 1207 00:46:57,315 --> 00:46:59,917 is taking it back. 1208 00:46:59,917 --> 00:47:01,317 Southasians would come up to me all the time 1209 00:47:01,319 --> 00:47:05,219 and be like, "I’m so glad that you’re there, on that show, 1210 00:47:05,222 --> 00:47:06,757 just by virtue of the way you look 1211 00:47:06,757 --> 00:47:09,687 and the stories that you get to talk about 1212 00:47:09,694 --> 00:47:10,961 and your perspectives." 1213 00:47:10,961 --> 00:47:12,561 You know, I said to John Stewart when I got the job, 1214 00:47:12,563 --> 00:47:15,333 I was like, "Do you want me to do the accent?" 1215 00:47:15,333 --> 00:47:17,201 And then he was like, "What? No! 1216 00:47:17,201 --> 00:47:18,301 [ Groans ] 1217 00:47:18,302 --> 00:47:20,402 No, I don’t think we need you to that. 1218 00:47:20,404 --> 00:47:22,640 No! Just talk like yourself." 1219 00:47:22,640 --> 00:47:24,640 And I was like, "Yes!" 1220 00:47:24,642 --> 00:47:25,810 [ Laughs ] 1221 00:47:25,810 --> 00:47:27,478 This is progress. 1222 00:47:27,478 --> 00:47:29,908 Progress is you hearing me talk to you 1223 00:47:29,914 --> 00:47:32,917 and not hearing a white dude pretending to be me. 1224 00:47:32,917 --> 00:47:34,517 Sometimes people also ask me, 1225 00:47:34,518 --> 00:47:36,448 "How come when you do impressions of your parents, 1226 00:47:36,454 --> 00:47:37,855 you don’t use an accent?" 1227 00:47:37,855 --> 00:47:40,555 And the answer to that question, of course, is [bleep] you. 1228 00:47:40,558 --> 00:47:45,158 That’s why I don’t use an accent. 1229 00:47:45,162 --> 00:47:48,599 There’s an action figure. 1230 00:47:48,599 --> 00:47:50,299 He’s got the convenience store. You can press this button. 1231 00:47:50,301 --> 00:47:54,071 I take it from your yelling that you like my tofu dogs. 1232 00:47:54,071 --> 00:47:57,241 What the [bleep] is that? Yes, this is ‐‐ yeah. 1233 00:47:57,241 --> 00:47:59,441 Before we wrapped it up, I just wanted to... 1234 00:47:59,443 --> 00:48:00,778 Don’t give me that. 1235 00:48:00,778 --> 00:48:02,646 I wanted to give you this. I wanted to give you this. 1236 00:48:02,646 --> 00:48:03,776 Do not give me that! 1237 00:48:03,781 --> 00:48:05,316 I wanted to give you this, and this is ‐‐ 1238 00:48:05,316 --> 00:48:06,546 I mean, I realize you probably... 1239 00:48:06,550 --> 00:48:07,750 For my Negrobilia. 1240 00:48:07,752 --> 00:48:09,320 Yeah. Okay. 1241 00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:11,889 Thank you, Whoopi. Thank you, honey. 1242 00:48:11,889 --> 00:48:15,326 Look, you’re still allowed to love "The Simpsons." 1243 00:48:15,326 --> 00:48:17,056 All I’m saying is that "The Simpsons" 1244 00:48:17,061 --> 00:48:19,029 is like your racist grandfather. 1245 00:48:19,029 --> 00:48:20,429 You love your grandfather. 1246 00:48:20,431 --> 00:48:22,099 He’s been there your whole life 1247 00:48:22,099 --> 00:48:24,969 and has taught you so many valuable things. 1248 00:48:24,969 --> 00:48:27,438 But he still does racist stuff regularly. 1249 00:48:27,438 --> 00:48:29,968 So if he can’t change, 1250 00:48:29,974 --> 00:48:32,309 maybe it’s time he dies. 1251 00:48:32,309 --> 00:48:35,279 And you can just remember the best things about him ‐‐ 1252 00:48:35,279 --> 00:48:37,609 seasons 1 through 10. 1253 00:48:37,615 --> 00:48:40,985 ♪ 1254 00:48:42,720 --> 00:48:44,955 Oh, and one more thing. 1255 00:48:44,955 --> 00:48:48,655 ♪ 1256 00:48:54,465 --> 00:48:55,875 Aah! 1257 00:48:57,401 --> 00:48:59,001 Yeah, I think about what my mom’s been through 1258 00:48:59,003 --> 00:49:00,037 in this country, right? 1259 00:49:00,037 --> 00:49:01,037 People saying things like, 1260 00:49:01,038 --> 00:49:02,868 "Take that dog off your head," 1261 00:49:02,873 --> 00:49:05,443 or "Why are you wearing bed sheets out of the house," 1262 00:49:05,443 --> 00:49:07,478 or "Why don’t you shut up and make me food?" 1263 00:49:07,478 --> 00:49:08,878 And this is just stuff me and my brothers 1264 00:49:08,879 --> 00:49:09,809 said to her, growing up. 1265 00:49:09,814 --> 00:49:11,282 Now, can you imagine 1266 00:49:11,282 --> 00:49:12,982 what she dealt with out of the house? 92508

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