1
00:00:04,872 --> 00:00:06,438
I was doing this show
in Brooklyn --

2
00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:07,573
in Brooklyn, diverse Brooklyn!

3
00:00:07,575 --> 00:00:09,475
 This kid comes up to me
and he's like,

4
00:00:09,477 --> 00:00:10,843
"Dude, I think
you're really funny.

5
00:00:10,845 --> 00:00:12,211
  That's a big deal
coming from me.

6
00:00:12,213 --> 00:00:14,813
I don't usually
  find ethnic comedy funny."

7
00:00:14,815 --> 00:00:18,083
  I was like, "Why would you
say that to my face?

8
00:00:18,085 --> 00:00:19,218
  You could've tweeted that.

9
00:00:19,220 --> 00:00:20,886
  Why...

10
00:00:20,888 --> 00:00:22,554
 Why are you hurting me
 in real time?

11
00:00:22,556 --> 00:00:24,390
Why is this happening
right now?"

12
00:00:24,392 --> 00:00:26,291
Ethnic comedy?
 What does ethnic comedy mean?

13
00:00:26,293 --> 00:00:27,893
It's not like my whole act is,

14
00:00:27,895 --> 00:00:30,963
 "Hey, brown people
look like this.

15
00:00:30,965 --> 00:00:32,031
 Hold up.

16
00:00:32,033 --> 00:00:34,867
 White people,
they look like that!"

17
00:00:38,472 --> 00:00:40,272
 I'll take your laughs,
 nonetheless.

18
00:00:40,274 --> 00:00:41,140
 I mean...

19
00:00:43,044 --> 00:00:46,345
 Thank -- Oh, that's a racist
 Apu joke in Denver.

20
00:00:46,347 --> 00:00:47,846
Boulder just went up
another notch,

21
00:00:47,848 --> 00:00:49,681
just like that.

22
00:00:49,683 --> 00:00:52,484
 I know you from high school,
even though I don't.

23
00:00:52,486 --> 00:00:54,953
  You're the reason
  I do comedy, sir.

24
00:00:54,955 --> 00:00:57,322
  You're the reason
I thought to myself,

25
00:00:57,324 --> 00:01:00,459
 "Nobody like us exists
except this cartoon character.

26
00:01:00,461 --> 00:01:01,794
 I'm gonna show up,

27
00:01:01,796 --> 00:01:03,996
and I'm gonna be the best
 comic in the country,

28
00:01:03,998 --> 00:01:06,098
 and I'm gonna make less
  than I deserve in Denver."

29
00:01:10,004 --> 00:01:13,238
 28 years later, and the words
 "Thank you, come again"

30
00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,874
still follow me wherever I go.

31
00:01:15,876 --> 00:01:17,810
Hey, my name is Hari Konadabolu,

32
00:01:17,812 --> 00:01:20,579
and I'm a stand up comic
 in Brooklyn, New York.

33
00:01:20,581 --> 00:01:22,815
 I'm the son of two immigrants
from India who,

34
00:01:22,817 --> 00:01:24,616
  despite me being
  a stand up comic,

35
00:01:24,618 --> 00:01:26,552
  are still alive.

36
00:01:26,554 --> 00:01:28,987
 My brother Ashok and I
 grew up in Queens.

37
00:01:28,989 --> 00:01:32,558
 Here is a picture of us
<i> pretending</i> to have Christmas.

38
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,626
I've had a great career filled
with laughter,

39
00:01:34,628 --> 00:01:36,161
  critical acclaim,

40
00:01:36,163 --> 00:01:37,329
and me shaking the hands

41
00:01:37,331 --> 00:01:39,832
of many famous white men
on television.

42
00:01:39,834 --> 00:01:42,134
 I should be completely happy.

43
00:01:42,136 --> 00:01:45,270
But there's still one man
  who haunts me --

44
00:01:45,272 --> 00:01:49,041
 Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

45
00:01:49,043 --> 00:01:51,877
Serving the customer
is merriment enough for me.

46
00:01:51,879 --> 00:01:54,213
Thank you, come again.

47
00:01:54,215 --> 00:01:56,014
 Hey, Ganesha.
Want a peanut?

48
00:01:56,016 --> 00:01:57,916
 Please do not offer
  my God a peanut.

49
00:01:57,918 --> 00:02:00,152
 You're stealing wishes?

50
00:02:00,154 --> 00:02:02,821
 Please pay for your purchases
  and get out and come again!

51
00:02:04,258 --> 00:02:05,224
 Oh, look.

52
00:02:05,226 --> 00:02:07,793
  It is encrusted with filth.

53
00:02:07,795 --> 00:02:08,827
 Oh, well.

54
00:02:08,829 --> 00:02:10,729
Let's sell it anyway.

55
00:02:10,731 --> 00:02:12,965
  Now, this is just
 between me and you.

56
00:02:18,539 --> 00:02:20,205
Hari Konadabolu, everybody!
Hari Konadabolu!

57
00:02:20,207 --> 00:02:23,342
I publicly declared
my war on Apu in 2012

58
00:02:23,344 --> 00:02:24,710
on the FX show,

59
00:02:24,712 --> 00:02:27,246
"Totally Biased
with W. Kamau Bell."

60
00:02:27,248 --> 00:02:30,182
 I did a piece about
Indian-Americans in the media.

61
00:02:30,184 --> 00:02:32,384
We've had an amazing run
 the last few years

62
00:02:32,386 --> 00:02:35,154
 with more Indians in
the public eye than ever before.

63
00:02:35,156 --> 00:02:37,422
 There's, like, 14 of us now.

64
00:02:39,093 --> 00:02:42,594
There's now enough Indian people
 where I don't need to like you

65
00:02:42,596 --> 00:02:46,198
  just because you're Indian.

66
00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:47,366
 Because growing up,

67
00:02:47,368 --> 00:02:49,868
I had no choice
  but to like this.

68
00:02:52,339 --> 00:02:53,805
Yeah.

69
00:02:58,145 --> 00:03:02,080
 This all started
  because you asked me

70
00:03:02,082 --> 00:03:04,783
  to do a piece
 on your old television show,

71
00:03:04,785 --> 00:03:07,119
"Totally Biased,"
 when I used to write for it.

72
00:03:07,121 --> 00:03:10,122
  You said,
"If you don't do this,

73
00:03:10,124 --> 00:03:12,624
I will fire you."

74
00:03:12,626 --> 00:03:14,326
 And I'm like,
"You know what?

75
00:03:14,328 --> 00:03:15,427
 That's -- that is...
That's good advice.

76
00:03:15,429 --> 00:03:17,196
 That's good advice."
That's good advice.

77
00:03:17,198 --> 00:03:20,332
 I couldn't imagine anybody

78
00:03:20,334 --> 00:03:23,101
 wanting to hear
 about Indian representation.

79
00:03:23,103 --> 00:03:24,970
 As soon as people
got what you were doing,

80
00:03:24,972 --> 00:03:26,505
and it wasn't like it was
an all Southasian audience,

81
00:03:26,507 --> 00:03:28,941
but it was an audience who
understood about representation.

82
00:03:28,943 --> 00:03:30,309
  And it was, like,
  the pop of like,

83
00:03:30,311 --> 00:03:32,311
"Yes, we know exactly
what you're talking about.

84
00:03:32,313 --> 00:03:34,279
 We're ready.
Take us on the journey."

85
00:03:34,281 --> 00:03:36,481
  Apu -- a cartoon character

86
00:03:36,483 --> 00:03:39,618
 voiced by Hank Azaria,
 a white guy.

87
00:03:41,155 --> 00:03:43,789
A white guy doing an impression

88
00:03:43,791 --> 00:03:46,959
of a white guy
making fun of my father.

89
00:03:49,930 --> 00:03:52,598
If --

90
00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,500
If I saw Hank Azaria
do that voice at a party,

91
00:03:55,502 --> 00:03:57,869
I would kick the
out of him.

92
00:04:04,745 --> 00:04:06,745
Yeah.

93
00:04:06,747 --> 00:04:10,282
Or I'd imagine
kicking the  out of him.

94
00:04:12,286 --> 00:04:14,753
  Now, I realize some of you
 think I'm some annoying

95
00:04:14,755 --> 00:04:16,755
  P.C. social-justice warrior

96
00:04:16,757 --> 00:04:19,258
that's very sensitive
and is obsessed

97
00:04:19,260 --> 00:04:21,827
 with a 28-year-old
 cartoon character.

98
00:04:21,829 --> 00:04:23,795
You're probably thinking,
"Come on, snowflake.

99
00:04:23,797 --> 00:04:25,197
Let it go."

100
00:04:25,199 --> 00:04:26,832
Well, I have let it go...

101
00:04:26,834 --> 00:04:29,101
 for 28 years.

102
00:04:31,739 --> 00:04:34,473
Look, man.
 I don't hate "The Simpsons."

103
00:04:34,475 --> 00:04:38,143
 In fact, I have always
loved "The Simpsons."

104
00:04:38,145 --> 00:04:41,613
 It's one of the main reasons
that I knew you could be smart

105
00:04:41,615 --> 00:04:45,117
 and funny and political
  at the same time.

106
00:04:45,119 --> 00:04:47,152
 It taught me about
 Pablo Neruda

107
00:04:47,154 --> 00:04:48,920
and Gore Vidal

108
00:04:48,922 --> 00:04:50,922
and Stanley Kubrick.

109
00:04:50,924 --> 00:04:53,025
  It shaped me into
  the person and the comedian

110
00:04:53,027 --> 00:04:54,893
  that I am today.

111
00:04:54,895 --> 00:04:56,194
And, yes, I know Apu is one of

112
00:04:56,196 --> 00:04:57,929
 the smartest characters
 on "The Simpsons."

113
00:04:57,931 --> 00:04:59,698
 Granted,
the bar isn't very high.

114
00:05:00,768 --> 00:05:02,701
But that's not
why people liked him.

115
00:05:02,703 --> 00:05:04,770
  They just liked his accent.

116
00:05:04,772 --> 00:05:06,805
I never heard anyone say
they liked Apu

117
00:05:06,807 --> 00:05:08,440
 because he exposed the idiocy

118
00:05:08,442 --> 00:05:10,042
and bigotry of Americans

119
00:05:10,044 --> 00:05:12,110
  and the struggles
of the average immigrant.

120
00:05:12,112 --> 00:05:13,278
 No.

121
00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:15,213
It was just, "I love Apu.

122
00:05:15,215 --> 00:05:17,382
That voice is hilarious."

123
00:05:17,384 --> 00:05:20,552
  Pardon me, but I would like
 to see this money spent

124
00:05:20,554 --> 00:05:22,254
on more police officers.

125
00:05:22,256 --> 00:05:24,623
  I have been shot
 eight times this year.

126
00:05:24,625 --> 00:05:27,259
  And as a result,
I almost missed work.

127
00:05:27,261 --> 00:05:28,160
  I hate Apu.

128
00:05:28,162 --> 00:05:30,128
 Hate Apu?
Hate Apu.

129
00:05:30,130 --> 00:05:32,197
  And because of that,
  I dislike "The Simpsons."

130
00:05:32,199 --> 00:05:33,598
Wow, the whole series?

131
00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:34,666
Yeah.

132
00:05:34,668 --> 00:05:35,934
  The whole series?
 Yeah.

133
00:05:35,936 --> 00:05:37,135
I love "The Simpsons."

134
00:05:37,137 --> 00:05:38,603
I just don't love that character
but the whole thing?

135
00:05:38,605 --> 00:05:40,672
I have never been able
to divorce the two.

136
00:05:40,674 --> 00:05:43,342
I love "The Simpsons"
because...

137
00:05:43,344 --> 00:05:45,577
  You hate yourself.
...'cause I comple--

138
00:05:45,579 --> 00:05:47,279
  This whole film
  is me trying

139
00:05:47,281 --> 00:05:48,714
  to get over the fact
  I hate myself.

140
00:05:48,716 --> 00:05:52,484
 How many of you were bullied
  in any capacity as a child?

141
00:05:52,486 --> 00:05:54,219
 -Are we raising hands?
-Yeah, raising hands.

142
00:05:54,221 --> 00:05:56,588
We'll do the hands thing.
Yeah. Okay.

143
00:05:56,590 --> 00:06:00,258
  Now, how many had
 to deal with, like,

144
00:06:00,260 --> 00:06:04,229
  being called Apu
or that being referenced.

145
00:06:04,231 --> 00:06:05,831
I'm driving with my dad
as a little kid,

146
00:06:05,833 --> 00:06:07,599
and someone goes like,
"Bing, bing!"

147
00:06:07,601 --> 00:06:09,000
They say like, "Oh, hey," --

148
00:06:09,002 --> 00:06:10,769
and they're doing, like,
the Indian voice --

149
00:06:10,771 --> 00:06:12,070
like, "Hey, I need to get
 another Slurpee.

150
00:06:12,072 --> 00:06:14,139
Can you tell me
where the Kwik-E-Mart is?

151
00:06:14,141 --> 00:06:15,841
Thank you, come again!"
  And they drive off.

152
00:06:15,843 --> 00:06:19,277
 I remember in seventh grade,
 actually, being bullied

153
00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:21,613
 by this guy
who would speak to me,

154
00:06:21,615 --> 00:06:23,749
actually,
 with Apu's accent

155
00:06:23,751 --> 00:06:25,884
or the accent that he thought
 all Indians spoke with.

156
00:06:25,886 --> 00:06:27,552
We lived next
  to, like, 7-Eleven.

157
00:06:27,554 --> 00:06:29,254
And there was always, like,
a sense of like,

158
00:06:29,256 --> 00:06:30,789
"Oh, please don't let it be
an Indian person

159
00:06:30,791 --> 00:06:32,858
working behind the counter
because if it is,

160
00:06:32,860 --> 00:06:35,394
my friends are gonna do,
like, the Apu thing."

161
00:06:35,396 --> 00:06:38,330
I just would wonder
how many Indian-American,

162
00:06:38,332 --> 00:06:40,098
Southasian-Americans,

163
00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:41,466
have had to deal with this.

164
00:06:41,468 --> 00:06:44,136
This  guy,
 this Apu,

165
00:06:44,138 --> 00:06:47,205
this one character created

166
00:06:47,207 --> 00:06:49,074
  so many problems

167
00:06:49,076 --> 00:06:53,278
psychologically, emotionally,
for so many people.

168
00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:55,313
They didn't mean for it
 to happen.

169
00:06:55,315 --> 00:06:58,917
We just were underrepresented,
and so we struggled.

170
00:06:58,919 --> 00:07:01,887
And the kind of racism that made
 Apu possible in Hollywood

171
00:07:01,889 --> 00:07:04,589
still exists everywhere.

172
00:07:04,591 --> 00:07:07,259
Apu represents an America
 that makes fun of immigrants

173
00:07:07,261 --> 00:07:09,327
 and anyone who is not white.

174
00:07:09,329 --> 00:07:10,962
Yes, trolls, I know.

175
00:07:10,964 --> 00:07:12,364
They're yellow.

176
00:07:12,366 --> 00:07:15,934
  My mission is to figure out
how we ended up with Apu

177
00:07:15,936 --> 00:07:17,903
and how we can get rid of him.

178
00:07:17,905 --> 00:07:21,273
  And I think I know someone
 who might be able to help us.

179
00:07:27,981 --> 00:07:29,414
1989 was a big year.

180
00:07:29,416 --> 00:07:31,349
The Berlin Wall fell.

181
00:07:31,351 --> 00:07:34,219
 Billy Joel claimed
 he didn't start a fire.

182
00:07:34,221 --> 00:07:35,821
 I got the chicken pox.

183
00:07:35,823 --> 00:07:38,089
But most relevant for this film,

184
00:07:38,091 --> 00:07:39,791
  "The Simpsons" was created

185
00:07:39,793 --> 00:07:42,260
and my life was never the same.

186
00:07:42,262 --> 00:07:45,297
Can you give us a brief history
 of "The Simpsons"?

187
00:07:45,299 --> 00:07:46,965
There was a brand-new
 network, Fox,

188
00:07:46,967 --> 00:07:48,567
and they were
desperate for content.

189
00:07:48,569 --> 00:07:50,769
And they needed content that
no one else was doing,

190
00:07:50,771 --> 00:07:52,637
that would sell, and that
was a little controversial.

191
00:07:52,639 --> 00:07:55,073
 Why, you little!

192
00:07:55,075 --> 00:07:58,109
But they were funny and smart,
 and they looked really weird.

193
00:07:58,111 --> 00:08:00,645
No one had really seen
animation like this on --

194
00:08:00,647 --> 00:08:02,347
on network TV before.

195
00:08:02,349 --> 00:08:04,316
"The Simpsons" were huge.

196
00:08:04,318 --> 00:08:05,584
They were everywhere.

197
00:08:05,586 --> 00:08:07,586
T-shirts, toys,

198
00:08:07,588 --> 00:08:09,054
 candy bar commercials,

199
00:08:09,056 --> 00:08:10,222
chicken commercials,

200
00:08:10,224 --> 00:08:11,623
  car commercials,

201
00:08:11,625 --> 00:08:15,160
and even bizarre car commercials
from France.

202
00:08:18,765 --> 00:08:21,666
 They were
 an international phenomenon.

203
00:08:21,668 --> 00:08:22,801
  And you're a huge
"Simpsons" fan.

204
00:08:22,803 --> 00:08:23,802
Um, yeah.

205
00:08:23,804 --> 00:08:25,370
 It was something
  that I grew up with,

206
00:08:25,372 --> 00:08:27,038
  and it was something
  that was always on the TV

207
00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:28,340
 when I came home
 from school.

208
00:08:28,342 --> 00:08:30,208
Did you guys grow up
watching "The Simpsons"?

209
00:08:30,210 --> 00:08:31,643
Absolutely.
I love that show.

210
00:08:31,645 --> 00:08:34,779
 I loved that you could watch
 the episodes again and again,

211
00:08:34,781 --> 00:08:37,782
and you would always get a joke
that you missed the first time.

212
00:08:37,784 --> 00:08:39,684
What do you love
 about "The Simpsons"?

213
00:08:39,686 --> 00:08:42,521
 Probably its humor.
 It's pretty unique.

214
00:08:42,523 --> 00:08:45,457
It just represents everything
  about humanity,

215
00:08:45,459 --> 00:08:47,125
  I think,
but in a funny aspect.

216
00:08:47,127 --> 00:08:48,827
And you know, America
 went through a time

217
00:08:48,829 --> 00:08:50,529
when "The Simpsons"
  owned America.

218
00:08:50,531 --> 00:08:52,097
I remember when that
was appointment television,

219
00:08:52,099 --> 00:08:53,598
where if you didn't see
"The Simpsons" on Sunday,

220
00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,400
you couldn't have a conversation
on Monday with some people.

221
00:08:55,402 --> 00:08:57,402
Yeah. It was also edgy.
  It was edgy at the time.
Yeah.

222
00:08:57,404 --> 00:08:59,538
La-la-la-la-la-la-la!
  Ha! Ha!

223
00:08:59,540 --> 00:09:00,972
La-la-la! Ha! ha!
  La-la-la-la!

224
00:09:00,974 --> 00:09:02,040
Stop him!

225
00:09:02,042 --> 00:09:03,642
He's expressing
his faith, eh?

226
00:09:03,644 --> 00:09:05,777
The thing is,
is that "The Simpsons"

227
00:09:05,779 --> 00:09:08,446
stereotypes all races.

228
00:09:08,448 --> 00:09:11,149
 They stereotype
the alcoholic, the deadbeat dad,

229
00:09:11,151 --> 00:09:14,219
  the "F"-up kid,
the over-achieving daughter.

230
00:09:14,221 --> 00:09:17,289
They stereotype Italians,
Chinese, Japanese.

231
00:09:17,291 --> 00:09:19,624
They spare no expense.

232
00:09:19,626 --> 00:09:22,294
The problem is,
  is we didn't have

233
00:09:22,296 --> 00:09:25,196
any other representation
 in this country.

234
00:09:25,198 --> 00:09:29,334
 There was no Aziz,
  no Mindy, no Kal,

235
00:09:29,336 --> 00:09:31,336
 no that dude
 who was on "Lost,"

236
00:09:31,338 --> 00:09:33,204
 and that other dude
from "Heroes,"

237
00:09:33,206 --> 00:09:35,941
and that dude that's
 in the Apu documentary.

238
00:09:35,943 --> 00:09:38,443
 No politicians or reporters,

239
00:09:38,445 --> 00:09:42,080
and no whatever
  Deepak Chopra is.

240
00:09:42,082 --> 00:09:44,249
 This is all we had.

241
00:09:44,251 --> 00:09:46,885
 Apu reflected
how America viewed us --

242
00:09:46,887 --> 00:09:48,253
servile...

243
00:09:48,255 --> 00:09:49,754
devious...

244
00:09:49,756 --> 00:09:51,556
  goofy.

245
00:09:51,558 --> 00:09:52,691
And that creates a problem

246
00:09:52,693 --> 00:09:54,559
when the most popular show
 on television,

247
00:09:54,561 --> 00:09:55,927
 which it was,

248
00:09:55,929 --> 00:09:59,297
is showing
 mainstream America

249
00:09:59,299 --> 00:10:00,865
 what an Indian is.
  Right.

250
00:10:00,867 --> 00:10:04,336
And it's a potbellied dude
who can't speak English,

251
00:10:04,338 --> 00:10:06,538
 has zero --
is an idiot, basically.

252
00:10:06,540 --> 00:10:09,941
  So, where did this walking
stereotype come from?

253
00:10:09,943 --> 00:10:13,011
  I mean,
 other than the gates of hell.

254
00:10:13,013 --> 00:10:14,446
 I read somewhere
that Apu,

255
00:10:14,448 --> 00:10:16,247
 they originally did not
  want to make him

256
00:10:16,249 --> 00:10:18,783
and Indian convenience
 store owner

257
00:10:18,785 --> 00:10:20,185
because they thought it was
  too much of a stereotype.

258
00:10:20,187 --> 00:10:21,586
It's completely
  untrue.

259
00:10:21,588 --> 00:10:23,622
Right away they were like,
"Can you do an Indian voice,

260
00:10:23,624 --> 00:10:25,523
 and how offensive
can you make it," basically.

261
00:10:25,525 --> 00:10:26,524
Really?

262
00:10:26,526 --> 00:10:27,993
I literally --

263
00:10:27,995 --> 00:10:30,528
I would, immediately began
to talk this way and...

264
00:10:30,530 --> 00:10:33,231
And I was like, "It's not
tremendously accurate.

265
00:10:33,233 --> 00:10:34,432
  It's a little...
 stereotype."

266
00:10:34,434 --> 00:10:36,868
They're like,
"Meh, it's all right."

267
00:10:36,870 --> 00:10:40,138
  So, Hank Azaria,
 a brilliant voice-over actor

268
00:10:40,140 --> 00:10:42,307
  who does many of
  "The Simpsons" characters,

269
00:10:42,309 --> 00:10:46,678
is told to do this stereotypical
  voice by producers.

270
00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:47,946
Or was he?

271
00:10:47,948 --> 00:10:50,682
Apu, he was not intended
 to be a character.

272
00:10:50,684 --> 00:10:52,484
He was called "clerk."
Mm-hmm.

273
00:10:52,486 --> 00:10:55,120
  He had one line,
 "35 cents, please."

274
00:10:55,122 --> 00:10:58,456
And I wrote in the script,
"He is not an Indian."

275
00:10:58,458 --> 00:11:00,325
 'Cause I said,
"That is a comedy cliché."

276
00:11:00,327 --> 00:11:01,593
 I see, yeah.

277
00:11:01,595 --> 00:11:03,528
And we get to the table reading,
and Hank Azaria goes,

278
00:11:03,530 --> 00:11:05,530
"35 cents, please."

279
00:11:05,532 --> 00:11:07,132
And it got
this giant laugh,

280
00:11:07,134 --> 00:11:09,901
and, suddenly,
 Apu was an Indian.

281
00:11:09,903 --> 00:11:12,370
"35 cents, please."

282
00:11:12,372 --> 00:11:15,974
  Man, that is some
brilliant comedy writing.

283
00:11:17,878 --> 00:11:19,344
So, what I do know for sure is

284
00:11:19,346 --> 00:11:22,981
that a white dude created
 a stereotypical Indian voice,

285
00:11:22,983 --> 00:11:25,550
 and a bunch of white writers
  in a room laughed

286
00:11:25,552 --> 00:11:27,786
at said stereotypical
 Indian voice.

287
00:11:27,788 --> 00:11:30,822
 And this led to the creation
of my childhood bully

288
00:11:30,824 --> 00:11:33,992
and a walking insult
to my parents.

289
00:11:33,994 --> 00:11:36,094
Are you sure
you want a child, Apu?

290
00:11:36,096 --> 00:11:37,362
You know I do.

291
00:11:37,364 --> 00:11:39,030
<i> I mean, there comes a time</i>
<i> in a man's life</i>

292
00:11:39,032 --> 00:11:40,398
<i> when he asks himself,</i>

293
00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:43,868
"Who will float my corpse
 down the Ganges?"

294
00:11:43,870 --> 00:11:45,403
  So, that's you guys.

295
00:11:47,974 --> 00:11:50,141
Today, you look like
Apu today, somewhat.

296
00:11:50,143 --> 00:11:53,311
 No, that's not funny.
Why do I look like Apu today?

297
00:11:53,313 --> 00:11:54,713
 The hair, I think.

298
00:11:54,715 --> 00:11:56,347
-Apu hair.
-Apu hair!

299
00:11:56,349 --> 00:11:57,549
I don't have Apu hair.

300
00:11:57,551 --> 00:11:58,583
 Hey, Apu.

301
00:11:58,585 --> 00:11:59,617
 Apu hair.

302
00:12:01,455 --> 00:12:04,322
 When you see that character,
do either of you identify

303
00:12:04,324 --> 00:12:05,890
 with that character
in any way?

304
00:12:05,892 --> 00:12:06,825
 No.

305
00:12:06,827 --> 00:12:08,193
  I don't think so.

306
00:12:08,195 --> 00:12:10,495
Does it bother you at all
 that it's a white actor

307
00:12:10,497 --> 00:12:11,796
  that does the voice of Apu?

308
00:12:11,798 --> 00:12:15,333
Hank Azaria
 is a talented guy.

309
00:12:15,335 --> 00:12:19,204
  They paid him, he did it.
And he did it good.

310
00:12:19,206 --> 00:12:22,474
 Why do you think you tolerate
 this kind of stuff

311
00:12:22,476 --> 00:12:23,742
 more than we would?

312
00:12:23,744 --> 00:12:25,810
 First of all,
 we came here.

313
00:12:25,812 --> 00:12:27,879
 We had to succeed,
no matter what.

314
00:12:27,881 --> 00:12:30,648
It doesn't mean that
we are not offended by it.

315
00:12:30,650 --> 00:12:33,118
Why do you feel like
we don't tolerate it?

316
00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:34,419
 Times have changed.

317
00:12:34,421 --> 00:12:37,722
 You have security,
and you belong here.

318
00:12:37,724 --> 00:12:39,190
 You're an American.

319
00:12:39,192 --> 00:12:41,626
 So, "Simpsons" creator
 Matt Groening makes

320
00:12:41,628 --> 00:12:44,129
 this Indian store clerk
  a series regular,

321
00:12:44,131 --> 00:12:47,398
 and names him
 Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

322
00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:49,467
 But where does the name
come from?

323
00:12:49,469 --> 00:12:51,770
Well, his last name,
 Nahasapeemapetilon,

324
00:12:51,772 --> 00:12:55,540
comes from the Sanskrit word
 for.

325
00:12:55,542 --> 00:12:57,876
And his first name, well,
I'll let Matt explain

326
00:12:57,878 --> 00:12:59,110
 why he chose "Apu."

327
00:12:59,112 --> 00:13:01,913
I named Apu
 after the trilogy,

328
00:13:01,915 --> 00:13:03,982
the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray.

329
00:13:03,984 --> 00:13:07,185
 And I highly recommend
this series of movies --

330
00:13:07,187 --> 00:13:10,255
 fantastic landmarks
  in world cinema.

331
00:13:10,257 --> 00:13:12,490
Can you tell us
what the Apu Trilogy is?

332
00:13:12,492 --> 00:13:15,293
 The Apu Trilogy is the story
  of it's hero,

333
00:13:15,295 --> 00:13:16,628
a young boy named Apu,

334
00:13:16,630 --> 00:13:19,297
who we follow over
 the course of three films.

335
00:13:19,299 --> 00:13:22,367
 You see in the course
 of his life both a young man

336
00:13:22,369 --> 00:13:24,636
 grow up
  and actually deepen,

337
00:13:24,638 --> 00:13:28,006
but also, you see
the modernization of India.

338
00:13:29,376 --> 00:13:30,975
 As someone
who's a scholar of Ray,

339
00:13:30,977 --> 00:13:33,645
who knows those films
very well,

340
00:13:33,647 --> 00:13:35,980
  how do you feel
about that choice?

341
00:13:35,982 --> 00:13:39,417
His story's the story of
  a multidimensional human being

342
00:13:39,419 --> 00:13:43,354
who grows living through pain
 and tragedy and beauty.

343
00:13:43,356 --> 00:13:47,458
And to have that name then be
 associated with the Apu

344
00:13:47,460 --> 00:13:49,294
  of the convenience store,

345
00:13:49,296 --> 00:13:51,963
of course, is such
  a huge diminishment.

346
00:14:02,509 --> 00:14:04,008
And even though
 Matt Groening

347
00:14:04,010 --> 00:14:05,143
 created "The Simpsons,"

348
00:14:05,145 --> 00:14:07,378
  it's Hank Azaria
 who does the voice

349
00:14:07,380 --> 00:14:09,714
and can literally silence Apu.

350
00:14:09,716 --> 00:14:12,450
 I was feeling hopeful I could
get Hank to speak to me,

351
00:14:12,452 --> 00:14:15,753
 especially since he had
 spoken about this once before

352
00:14:15,755 --> 00:14:18,590
 in a<i> Huffington Post</i> article
from 2013,

353
00:14:18,592 --> 00:14:21,259
 entitled,
  "Is It Time to Retire Apu?"

354
00:14:21,261 --> 00:14:22,660
by Mallika Rao.

355
00:14:22,662 --> 00:14:26,397
When you spoke to Hank Azaria,
  was there a defensiveness?

356
00:14:26,399 --> 00:14:29,133
For the first time,
he wants to talk about

357
00:14:29,135 --> 00:14:31,903
 how he feels uncomfortable
  with the voice.

358
00:14:31,905 --> 00:14:33,304
 Did he do Apu
over the phone?

359
00:14:33,306 --> 00:14:34,606
He did briefly.

360
00:14:34,608 --> 00:14:37,909
 He-He talked about
how the voice is very musical.

361
00:14:37,911 --> 00:14:39,377
 He did the accent.

362
00:14:39,379 --> 00:14:40,612
He mentioned you --

363
00:14:40,614 --> 00:14:41,980
  Well, he didn't know
  your name,

364
00:14:41,982 --> 00:14:44,482
 but he said that there was
  an Indian comic

365
00:14:44,484 --> 00:14:49,921
  who he'd seen a video of,
  who just went off on Apu.

366
00:14:49,923 --> 00:14:52,590
Had he not thought about it
until he saw my bit?

367
00:14:52,592 --> 00:14:53,858
 Right. He hadn't, so...

368
00:14:53,860 --> 00:14:55,693
So, for, like, 20 --
At that point, maybe, like,

369
00:14:55,695 --> 00:14:58,062
 21, 22 years,

370
00:14:58,064 --> 00:14:59,797
 he had not thought
 about it?

371
00:14:59,799 --> 00:15:01,799
He hadn't
 thought about it

372
00:15:01,801 --> 00:15:05,937
  from the perspective
of a real Apu,

373
00:15:05,939 --> 00:15:08,206
 and real Indian person.

374
00:15:08,208 --> 00:15:11,175
So Hank has
 thought about this.

375
00:15:11,177 --> 00:15:15,613
  And if I got to Hank before,
I'm sure I can get to him again.

376
00:15:21,621 --> 00:15:23,755
To understand
  my quest to get rid of Apu,

377
00:15:23,757 --> 00:15:25,657
 you need to understand
the complicated

378
00:15:25,659 --> 00:15:27,225
 and diverse experiences

379
00:15:27,227 --> 00:15:29,427
 of Southasian-Americans
  in this country.

380
00:15:32,332 --> 00:15:33,965
 I spent the first nine years
of my life

381
00:15:33,967 --> 00:15:35,266
 in Jackson Heights, Queens --

382
00:15:35,268 --> 00:15:38,169
the most diverse part
  of the most diverse borough

383
00:15:38,171 --> 00:15:40,138
of the most diverse city
 in the world.

384
00:15:40,140 --> 00:15:41,973
 It is my favorite place

385
00:15:41,975 --> 00:15:45,410
 and every white supremacist's
nightmare.

386
00:15:45,412 --> 00:15:48,413
I grew up near 74th Street
in what's called "Little India."

387
00:15:48,415 --> 00:15:50,415
  But to be fair, this isn't
 actually Little India.

388
00:15:50,417 --> 00:15:52,717
  It's more Little Southasia
 'cause you have people

389
00:15:52,719 --> 00:15:54,519
from all over the region here,

390
00:15:54,521 --> 00:15:57,155
whether that be India
or Pakistan

391
00:15:57,157 --> 00:16:00,158
 or Sri Lanka,
 Bangladesh, Nepal,

392
00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:01,459
 Buton, or the Maldives,

393
00:16:01,461 --> 00:16:04,595
 and sometimes
 Tibet and Afghanistan.

394
00:16:04,597 --> 00:16:07,932
  The borders kind of change
depending on political reasons

395
00:16:07,934 --> 00:16:09,634
  or who the U.S. is bombing

396
00:16:09,636 --> 00:16:11,169
  at that particular moment.

397
00:16:11,171 --> 00:16:14,605
  Afghanistan has since been
moved to the Middle East.

398
00:16:14,607 --> 00:16:17,141
 But all these countries have
  different make ups, right?

399
00:16:17,143 --> 00:16:20,678
 They have different languages
  and cultures and religions.

400
00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:22,780
But when you grow up
  in this country,

401
00:16:22,782 --> 00:16:24,248
it doesn't really matter

402
00:16:24,250 --> 00:16:26,417
 'cause you're still
gonna be called Apu.

403
00:16:26,419 --> 00:16:29,921
Well, look! It is Mr. Homer,
my favorite customer.

404
00:16:29,923 --> 00:16:32,490
Please, feel free to paw
  through my<i> Playdudes</i>

405
00:16:32,492 --> 00:16:33,658
and tell me to go back

406
00:16:33,660 --> 00:16:35,493
to some country
 I am not actually from.

407
00:16:35,495 --> 00:16:37,562
He sort of does
  the stand-in work

408
00:16:37,564 --> 00:16:39,897
for a lot of different
 kinds of issues

409
00:16:39,899 --> 00:16:42,300
 related
to immigration and race.

410
00:16:42,302 --> 00:16:44,569
Every time there was
a certain kind of focus

411
00:16:44,571 --> 00:16:46,637
 on Apu's character
in relationship

412
00:16:46,639 --> 00:16:48,606
 to some kind
 of universal norm,

413
00:16:48,608 --> 00:16:52,076
the way in which they talked
about it was usually

414
00:16:52,078 --> 00:16:55,646
in a particular
 stereotypical way.

415
00:16:55,648 --> 00:16:58,649
If there was an episode
that was on marriage,

416
00:16:58,651 --> 00:17:01,919
Apu, of course, had to have
the arranged marriage.

417
00:17:01,921 --> 00:17:03,354
 Then it is agreed.

418
00:17:03,356 --> 00:17:07,525
 Your third daughter
will marry our first son.

419
00:17:07,527 --> 00:17:10,962
If there was an episode
  on having children,

420
00:17:10,964 --> 00:17:13,498
then Apu had to have
eight children.

421
00:17:13,500 --> 00:17:15,133
My whaaaat?

422
00:17:15,135 --> 00:17:18,169
 Stereotypes
have a long half-life.

423
00:17:18,171 --> 00:17:20,004
 They tend to last
  for a while

424
00:17:20,006 --> 00:17:22,940
 unless we are committed to

425
00:17:22,942 --> 00:17:25,309
and good at telling
our own story.

426
00:17:25,311 --> 00:17:28,980
Is it weird that we're talking
about Indian stereotypes

427
00:17:28,982 --> 00:17:31,049
and you're
  an Indian doctor?

428
00:17:31,051 --> 00:17:33,284
Is that strange
in the slightest to you?

429
00:17:33,286 --> 00:17:34,585
But getting an honest story

430
00:17:34,587 --> 00:17:38,189
 into the mainstream
is incredibly difficult.

431
00:17:38,191 --> 00:17:41,759
Good morning...
It's Wednesday!

432
00:17:41,761 --> 00:17:43,628
Or Hump Day, according
  to Jizzy and the Wiz

433
00:17:43,630 --> 00:17:45,830
on 102.7, "The Octopus,"

434
00:17:45,832 --> 00:17:50,735
Rancho Cucamonga's number-one
all-'80s rock station!

435
00:17:50,737 --> 00:17:52,136
This is
 a father-son story.

436
00:17:52,138 --> 00:17:54,372
This is really about how you
dealt with these two cultures --

437
00:17:54,374 --> 00:17:55,973
this Indian household
 that were living in

438
00:17:55,975 --> 00:17:57,909
and this American culture that
you were now a part of.

439
00:17:57,911 --> 00:17:59,343
We were in a meeting
at Fox one day,

440
00:17:59,345 --> 00:18:00,478
and everybody had
to stand up

441
00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:03,381
and say what their role was
  on the pilot.

442
00:18:03,383 --> 00:18:05,349
 So, "Hi, I'm so-and-so.
I'm Executive Producer."

443
00:18:05,351 --> 00:18:08,286
 "Hi, I'm so-and-so.
I'm the script supervisor."

444
00:18:08,288 --> 00:18:11,255
I stood up and I go, "Hi,
Rohitash Rao, and I'm Indian."

445
00:18:11,257 --> 00:18:12,690
That's all I had to say,

446
00:18:12,692 --> 00:18:14,225
'cause I was the only one
  in the room

447
00:18:14,227 --> 00:18:15,393
that could say that.
Ooh.

448
00:18:15,395 --> 00:18:16,928
  And I looked around
the room and I'm like,

449
00:18:16,930 --> 00:18:18,529
"What are we getting into?

450
00:18:18,531 --> 00:18:21,232
How are we making
an Indian show right now?"

451
00:18:21,234 --> 00:18:22,767
Like, "How are<i> we</i> together?

452
00:18:22,769 --> 00:18:24,035
How is this gonna work?"

453
00:18:24,037 --> 00:18:26,604
And from that moment, I'm like,
"I think we're"

454
00:18:26,606 --> 00:18:29,974
There's this idea that,
 okay, well,

455
00:18:29,976 --> 00:18:32,810
if there's four white people,
anybody will watch it.

456
00:18:32,812 --> 00:18:34,378
 That's mainstream.
 That's accessible.
 Right.

457
00:18:34,380 --> 00:18:38,249
But if it's four Asian people
or four black people,

458
00:18:38,251 --> 00:18:39,951
it becomes like,
"Oh, this is a black show,"

459
00:18:39,953 --> 00:18:41,319
or, "This is a black movie."

460
00:18:41,321 --> 00:18:43,654
I guess it just boils down
to, like, why is it that

461
00:18:43,656 --> 00:18:44,922
 when there's a show
full of white people,

462
00:18:44,924 --> 00:18:46,958
  that's considered
okay and mainstream?

463
00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:48,926
Right.
If it's
funny and interesting,

464
00:18:48,928 --> 00:18:51,863
  I don't really care
who's in it, you know.

465
00:18:51,865 --> 00:18:54,999
We watch animated movies
that are about fish.

466
00:18:55,001 --> 00:18:56,067
Right.

467
00:18:56,069 --> 00:18:57,869
What bothered me most about Apu

468
00:18:57,871 --> 00:19:00,271
 was the way he stood in
for my parents,

469
00:19:00,273 --> 00:19:02,640
 replacing their real stories,
their real struggles,

470
00:19:02,642 --> 00:19:04,775
  and their really
  complicated lives

471
00:19:04,777 --> 00:19:06,978
with a  accent.

472
00:19:06,980 --> 00:19:08,846
 My dad was an English major,
 so his command

473
00:19:08,848 --> 00:19:10,281
 of the English language
was ridiculous.

474
00:19:10,283 --> 00:19:11,849
And so he wanted to
 be a writer.

475
00:19:11,851 --> 00:19:15,353
 My dad wrote,
sent in his application,

476
00:19:15,355 --> 00:19:16,888
 and, you know,
they see "Eric Peters"

477
00:19:16,890 --> 00:19:18,723
and they read it
and how well written it is,

478
00:19:18,725 --> 00:19:19,991
They're like, "Oh, perfect.

479
00:19:19,993 --> 00:19:21,959
  Let's bring this guy in."
 My dad walked in.

480
00:19:21,961 --> 00:19:23,361
 My dad looked very
 much like you.

481
00:19:23,363 --> 00:19:25,596
 They're like, "Sorry, sir.
 The job's been filled."

482
00:19:25,598 --> 00:19:28,299
 And then he just had to take
  a job as a meat inspector

483
00:19:28,301 --> 00:19:29,600
  for the rest of his life,
you know.

484
00:19:29,602 --> 00:19:32,436
My mom, who grew up
  in a middle-class family,

485
00:19:32,438 --> 00:19:33,838
  but that was very --
 in a society

486
00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:35,640
 that was very
 male-dominated in India

487
00:19:35,642 --> 00:19:39,143
  and about what it took for her
  to get her own education.

488
00:19:39,145 --> 00:19:41,579
When I was growing up,
I found it really embarrassing

489
00:19:41,581 --> 00:19:43,181
that my dad wanted to spend
so much time with us

490
00:19:43,183 --> 00:19:44,682
 to the point
 where my dad became

491
00:19:44,684 --> 00:19:47,218
the baseball coach
of my little league team.

492
00:19:47,220 --> 00:19:49,854
My dad didn't know baseball.
 He knew cricket.

493
00:19:49,856 --> 00:19:51,656
So, he would teach us
how to play cricket.

494
00:19:52,659 --> 00:19:54,759
  So, we're trying
to swing a bat

495
00:19:54,761 --> 00:19:56,794
  like a golf club,
 you know?

496
00:19:56,796 --> 00:19:58,396
Telling the pitcher
to bounce the ball over.

497
00:19:58,398 --> 00:20:00,598
 Yeah, look back,
and I realize it was only

498
00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:01,832
because it was
 out of love.

499
00:20:01,834 --> 00:20:03,167
He wanted to spend time
with his son.

500
00:20:03,169 --> 00:20:04,535
That's why he did it.

501
00:20:04,537 --> 00:20:06,637
At the same time, I should say,
we were a pretty good team

502
00:20:06,639 --> 00:20:08,139
because we could catch
with our bare hands.

503
00:20:08,141 --> 00:20:09,907
Like,
we got to be pretty good.

504
00:20:09,909 --> 00:20:11,475
 Our parents are heroes.

505
00:20:11,477 --> 00:20:14,612
And there are millions
of other immigrants like them

506
00:20:14,614 --> 00:20:18,049
  how came over in the face
 of incredible uncertainty,

507
00:20:18,051 --> 00:20:20,618
 taking incredible risk,

508
00:20:20,620 --> 00:20:22,887
to build a life
 in a new country.

509
00:20:24,824 --> 00:20:27,058
  Racist depictions
 of minority groups

510
00:20:27,060 --> 00:20:30,695
  is as American as...racism.

511
00:20:30,697 --> 00:20:33,130
  From advertising
to political cartoons

512
00:20:33,132 --> 00:20:34,532
 to vaudeville to...

513
00:20:34,534 --> 00:20:36,834
  Meet me at the zoo
in the morning at 9:00.

514
00:20:36,836 --> 00:20:38,569
Yeah, with the rest
of the monkeys?

515
00:20:38,571 --> 00:20:39,637
 With the rest
of the monkeys.

516
00:20:39,639 --> 00:20:41,772
 Yeah, I'll bring
my grandpa with me.

517
00:20:41,774 --> 00:20:43,741
 Dear God!

518
00:20:43,743 --> 00:20:46,711
  I decided I needed to talk
  to an expert on the matter,

519
00:20:46,713 --> 00:20:49,914
someone with an EGOT.

520
00:20:51,584 --> 00:20:55,720
  Can you define minstrelsy
  and briefly discuss,

521
00:20:55,722 --> 00:20:57,521
 like, the history
of minstrelsy?

522
00:20:57,523 --> 00:21:00,858
Minstrel shows began

523
00:21:00,860 --> 00:21:02,727
when white people decided

524
00:21:02,729 --> 00:21:04,428
they wanted to be able
to do the cake walk.

525
00:21:04,430 --> 00:21:07,732
Because there were not
 black folks on stage,

526
00:21:07,734 --> 00:21:09,533
so white people dressed
 as black people

527
00:21:09,535 --> 00:21:11,102
and put on
the blackface.

528
00:21:11,104 --> 00:21:12,436
I wanted to ask you

529
00:21:12,438 --> 00:21:14,538
 about your collection
of black Americana.

530
00:21:14,540 --> 00:21:16,207
  You have a very
 large personal collection.

531
00:21:16,209 --> 00:21:17,675
I call it Negrobilia.

532
00:21:17,677 --> 00:21:19,510
  A lot of racist imagery.
 Mm-hmm.

533
00:21:19,512 --> 00:21:20,911
 It's blackface.
Yeah.

534
00:21:20,913 --> 00:21:26,117
It's clearly stuff that was made
 to mock black people.

535
00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:28,052
 I don't even think
  it was that deep.

536
00:21:28,054 --> 00:21:29,654
Really?
Yeah.

537
00:21:29,656 --> 00:21:33,758
I have this thing
from the Coon Chicken Inn.

538
00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:35,826
  That was the name
  of a restaurant.

539
00:21:35,828 --> 00:21:37,228
 I don't think
 they were thinking,

540
00:21:37,230 --> 00:21:40,197
"Oh, we gonna get 'em now!"

541
00:21:40,199 --> 00:21:42,767
I think they were like,
 "That's funny."

542
00:21:42,769 --> 00:21:44,502
  What else
 is in the collection?

543
00:21:44,504 --> 00:21:47,838
 One of my favorite
is a German postcard.

544
00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,441
There's a little white girl,
a little white boy,

545
00:21:50,443 --> 00:21:53,311
and this other little blackface
  is in the middle.

546
00:21:53,313 --> 00:21:54,779
And she says to him,

547
00:21:54,781 --> 00:21:56,781
 "Lick him
and see if he's chocolate."

548
00:21:58,418 --> 00:22:01,819
If you've never
seen black people...

549
00:22:01,821 --> 00:22:03,754
we look chocolate.

550
00:22:03,756 --> 00:22:04,889
 So, you're telling me
there might've been

551
00:22:04,891 --> 00:22:06,457
 an epidemic at some point,

552
00:22:06,459 --> 00:22:09,193
where people were
licking black people to see

553
00:22:09,195 --> 00:22:10,394
 if they tasted like chocolate?
Yeah.

554
00:22:10,396 --> 00:22:12,430
  And if you
played your cards right,

555
00:22:12,432 --> 00:22:13,931
  you could make it
 work for you, too.

556
00:22:16,469 --> 00:22:18,969
And I'm a big believer
in facing it.

557
00:22:18,971 --> 00:22:21,005
  You've got to see
 what it was.

558
00:22:21,007 --> 00:22:23,274
 So that's why you have
the collection.
 Yeah.

559
00:22:23,276 --> 00:22:25,309
 But it doesn't horrify you
 when you see it?

560
00:22:25,311 --> 00:22:28,846
No, no. No.
 Not at all?

561
00:22:28,848 --> 00:22:34,218
No, because when you deal
with ignorance,

562
00:22:34,220 --> 00:22:35,453
how can you be
pissed off?

563
00:22:35,455 --> 00:22:36,787
They don't know
any better.

564
00:22:36,789 --> 00:22:37,855
They're trying
  to make a living.

565
00:22:37,857 --> 00:22:40,024
They're making cookie jars.

566
00:22:40,026 --> 00:22:41,659
But Hank isn't ignorant.

567
00:22:41,661 --> 00:22:43,728
 He knows
  there's a problem with Apu,

568
00:22:43,730 --> 00:22:46,097
 yet he still does this.

569
00:22:46,099 --> 00:22:48,232
Remember, please,
 children, that in life,

570
00:22:48,234 --> 00:22:51,402
there is nothing that is
  not so disgusting

571
00:22:51,404 --> 00:22:53,671
 that it cannot be sold
 on a heated roller

572
00:22:53,673 --> 00:22:55,506
at a nearly
  criminal mark-up.

573
00:22:57,744 --> 00:23:00,411
Based on your definition
of minstrelsy,

574
00:23:00,413 --> 00:23:02,380
 does Apu count as a minstrel

575
00:23:02,382 --> 00:23:03,981
 since it's brown paint,

576
00:23:03,983 --> 00:23:05,249
  a white guy's voice?

577
00:23:05,251 --> 00:23:07,318
I would say so,

578
00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:09,153
  but he's not
singing and dancing, is he?

579
00:23:09,155 --> 00:23:10,254
Aah!

580
00:23:10,256 --> 00:23:12,156
 ♪ Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart ♪

581
00:23:12,158 --> 00:23:14,291
♪ Now, here's the tricky part ♪

582
00:23:14,293 --> 00:23:17,528
♪ Oh, won't you rhyme with me? ♪

583
00:23:17,530 --> 00:23:18,662
 Yeah, there's --
  there's --

584
00:23:18,664 --> 00:23:20,264
  Okay, then, he's in
the minstrel show, too.

585
00:23:21,334 --> 00:23:22,967
If he's singing and dancing,
he's in.

586
00:23:22,969 --> 00:23:23,868
  He has
 all the qualifications.

587
00:23:23,870 --> 00:23:25,536
He has
all the qualifications.

588
00:23:25,538 --> 00:23:28,939
 Maybe if Hank realized Apu is
 no different than this

589
00:23:28,941 --> 00:23:30,341
or this...

590
00:23:30,343 --> 00:23:32,042
 or this,

591
00:23:32,044 --> 00:23:35,613
 he might, I don't know, stop.

592
00:23:35,615 --> 00:23:37,548
  We needed to talk
to Hank Azaria.

593
00:23:37,550 --> 00:23:39,750
 And, luckily, I have agents.

594
00:23:41,254 --> 00:23:43,354
- Hey, man. It's Hari.
<i>-  Hey, Hari.</i>

595
00:23:43,356 --> 00:23:46,657
Yeah, I was just wondering
if we have any news about Hank,

596
00:23:46,659 --> 00:23:49,360
like, if anyone has said
anything from his camp

597
00:23:49,362 --> 00:23:50,928
 about, like,
doing the film.

598
00:23:50,930 --> 00:23:53,397
<i> Yeah, check your e-mail.</i>
 You sent me an e-mail?

599
00:23:53,399 --> 00:23:55,599
 <i> Uh-huh.</i>
<i> You're gonna want to read it.</i>

600
00:23:55,601 --> 00:23:58,936
Okay, so, it's a forward
from his publicist.

601
00:23:58,938 --> 00:24:03,507
"Hank wanted me to
pass this article on to you."

602
00:24:04,844 --> 00:24:07,111
 And it's the same
Huff-Po article

603
00:24:07,113 --> 00:24:08,479
  that me and him were
both quoted in,

604
00:24:08,481 --> 00:24:09,480
like, three years ago.

605
00:24:09,482 --> 00:24:11,148
So he's, basically,
  saying that

606
00:24:11,150 --> 00:24:12,716
 he doesn't want to
do the film

607
00:24:12,718 --> 00:24:15,386
  and he's not gonna
talk about it anymore.

608
00:24:15,388 --> 00:24:17,488
<i> You okay?</i>
  No, I'm fine.

609
00:24:17,490 --> 00:24:19,223
<i> You sure?</i>
 No, I'm okay.

610
00:24:19,225 --> 00:24:20,658
 No, I'm okay.
I'm fine.

611
00:24:20,660 --> 00:24:22,326
<i> Look, we'll give him a beep...</i>
 Yeah.

612
00:24:22,328 --> 00:24:23,594
<i> ...and we'll figure out</i>
  <i> the next steps.</i>

613
00:24:23,596 --> 00:24:25,596
  Okay. Bye.

614
00:24:53,593 --> 00:24:55,860
Well, it's been months,

615
00:24:55,862 --> 00:24:58,462
 and Hank Azaria appears to be
ignoring my requests

616
00:24:58,464 --> 00:25:00,598
 to talk about Apu on camera.

617
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:02,266
 If I don't get him
to retire the voice,

618
00:25:02,268 --> 00:25:04,435
this whole thing is a failure!

619
00:25:04,437 --> 00:25:08,172
And by thing, I might
possibly mean my career.

620
00:25:08,174 --> 00:25:10,374
 So I decided
  to "Politically Re-Active,"

621
00:25:10,376 --> 00:25:11,842
 my podcast with Kamau,

622
00:25:11,844 --> 00:25:14,144
 to sic my fans on Hank.

623
00:25:14,146 --> 00:25:16,347
So, Hari, you're working
 on something too, aren't you?

624
00:25:16,349 --> 00:25:19,116
  Yes, I am, Kamau.
Thank you for asking.

625
00:25:19,118 --> 00:25:23,053
I'm making a documentary
about Apu from "The Simpsons,"

626
00:25:23,055 --> 00:25:25,623
which I am
 very excited about.

627
00:25:25,625 --> 00:25:27,625
We're trying to get Hank Azaria
 to be in the film.

628
00:25:27,627 --> 00:25:29,059
He's the voice of Apu.

629
00:25:29,061 --> 00:25:32,263
Tweet @HankAzaria that he
should be in my movie, right.

630
00:25:32,265 --> 00:25:35,266
  Sample tweet --
Dear @HankAzaria, please talk

631
00:25:35,268 --> 00:25:38,736
to @HariKonadabolu about Apu
for his documentary

632
00:25:38,738 --> 00:25:41,605
 #Apu2016.

633
00:25:41,607 --> 00:25:43,073
Now, let's get
this thing trending.

634
00:25:43,075 --> 00:25:44,575
Let's see if Hank will be
in this movie.

635
00:25:44,577 --> 00:25:46,176
Are you sure
 you don't wanna come?

636
00:25:46,178 --> 00:25:47,578
In a Civil War
 re-enactment,

637
00:25:47,580 --> 00:25:49,446
 we need lots of Indians
 to shoot.

638
00:25:49,448 --> 00:25:53,183
I don't know which part of that
sentence to correct first.

639
00:25:53,185 --> 00:25:55,686
There was a guy, the year after
"Harold & Kumar" came out.

640
00:25:55,688 --> 00:25:57,254
  I was walking down the street.
 He was kind of drunk.

641
00:25:57,256 --> 00:26:00,057
  He stumbled out of a bar,
  Indian guy, and he goes,

642
00:26:00,059 --> 00:26:04,695
"Hey, I get called Kumar
all the time because of you."

643
00:26:04,697 --> 00:26:06,463
And I just looked at him
 and was like,

644
00:26:06,465 --> 00:26:08,632
 "It's better than Apu,
isn't it?"
  Yeah, right.

645
00:26:08,634 --> 00:26:10,100
And he goes, "Yeah.

646
00:26:10,102 --> 00:26:11,669
 Yeah!"

647
00:26:11,671 --> 00:26:16,240
Can you name any other, like,
famous Indian-Americans?

648
00:26:16,242 --> 00:26:17,274
 There was --

649
00:26:17,276 --> 00:26:19,543
 But he wasn't even
 East Indian.

650
00:26:19,545 --> 00:26:21,345
  It was the actor
from Johnny 5.

651
00:26:23,316 --> 00:26:25,950
Is that a yes or the number of
your intelligence quotient, hmm?

652
00:26:25,952 --> 00:26:27,518
 But he wasn't even
 East Indian.

653
00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:28,819
No, Fisher Stevens.

654
00:26:28,821 --> 00:26:31,522
 I found out he wasn't Indian
three years ago.
 Yeah!

655
00:26:31,524 --> 00:26:33,524
I mean, you never had
  the feeling that,

656
00:26:33,526 --> 00:26:34,858
  like, at least
we have something?

657
00:26:34,860 --> 00:26:35,926
  With Apu?
  Yeah.

658
00:26:35,928 --> 00:26:37,194
  Hell, no!
Never?

659
00:26:37,196 --> 00:26:38,329
  No, it's the same as

660
00:26:38,331 --> 00:26:39,597
"Indiana Jones
and the Temple of Doom."

661
00:26:39,599 --> 00:26:40,664
  How many white folks
 in brownface,

662
00:26:40,666 --> 00:26:42,566
  eating monkey brains
are you gonna deal with?

663
00:26:47,406 --> 00:26:49,773
 Chilled monkey brains.

664
00:26:53,045 --> 00:26:54,979
 Are there any roles
you regret?

665
00:26:54,981 --> 00:26:56,313
No.
 None?

666
00:26:56,315 --> 00:26:58,215
  Let me think before I actually
 answer that question.

667
00:26:58,217 --> 00:26:59,617
  I'm so used to doing
 these interviews

668
00:26:59,619 --> 00:27:01,085
 where that's where
 you're supposed to say.
 Yeah.

669
00:27:01,087 --> 00:27:02,953
If you're a Southasian-American

670
00:27:02,955 --> 00:27:04,688
and you dream of being an actor,

671
00:27:04,690 --> 00:27:06,624
your choices are pretty limited.

672
00:27:06,626 --> 00:27:08,025
 You either portray
your community

673
00:27:08,027 --> 00:27:10,761
 as one-dimensional
  with hopes of better work,

674
00:27:10,763 --> 00:27:12,563
or you let
somebody else do it.

675
00:27:12,565 --> 00:27:16,266
It begs the question,
  is it better to be clowned

676
00:27:16,268 --> 00:27:17,835
or to clown yourself?

677
00:27:17,837 --> 00:27:20,537
I had a bread-and-butter role
 that I did for years,

678
00:27:20,539 --> 00:27:23,974
 which was the weeping
 ethnic mom

679
00:27:23,976 --> 00:27:27,478
of potential rapist
 or murderers.

680
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:30,214
It is a mother's duty
 to protect her son!

681
00:27:30,216 --> 00:27:33,617
I was playing Achmed,
the foreign-exchange student.

682
00:27:33,619 --> 00:27:38,022
And I was wearing a turban
and eating fried camel,

683
00:27:38,024 --> 00:27:41,158
doing these kind of, like,
weird Indian dances.

684
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:47,197
From, like, 1991 till,
 like, '96, '97,

685
00:27:47,199 --> 00:27:49,433
 is all just,
 literally, cabbie,

686
00:27:49,435 --> 00:27:52,136
cabbie, cabbie, deli,
 deli, deli...

687
00:27:55,174 --> 00:27:56,440
...doctor.

688
00:27:56,442 --> 00:27:58,108
One of the first movies I did
was a movie called

689
00:27:58,110 --> 00:28:00,077
 "Van Wilder"
with Ryan Reynolds,

690
00:28:00,079 --> 00:28:02,680
  and I played
an Indian exchange student.

691
00:28:02,682 --> 00:28:05,516
And I remember very clearly
  getting a phone call

692
00:28:05,518 --> 00:28:07,818
 from my agent at the time,
and she said,

693
00:28:07,820 --> 00:28:09,653
 "Hey, I've got
this audition for you.

694
00:28:09,655 --> 00:28:11,455
It's a supporting lead
in a movie."

695
00:28:11,457 --> 00:28:14,625
  She goes, "Okay,
 the character's name...

696
00:28:14,627 --> 00:28:15,626
 is Taj Mahal.

697
00:28:15,628 --> 00:28:18,062
  I'm Taj...Mahal.

698
00:28:18,064 --> 00:28:20,831
And I hung up the phone,
and she calls me back.

699
00:28:20,833 --> 00:28:22,700
 And she's like, "I knew
you were gonna do that."
 I'm like, "Well, yeah!"

700
00:28:22,702 --> 00:28:24,702
I mean, I didn't major
in Theater and Film

701
00:28:24,704 --> 00:28:26,904
  to play Taj Mahal.
 Right.

702
00:28:26,906 --> 00:28:30,040
 She said, "Look, it's almost
impossible for me

703
00:28:30,042 --> 00:28:32,643
 to sell you
without any credits --

704
00:28:32,645 --> 00:28:34,144
any legitimate credits
 on your resumé.

705
00:28:34,146 --> 00:28:35,546
And I know that
 you probably won't want

706
00:28:35,548 --> 00:28:37,081
 to do something like this,
but I would really

707
00:28:37,083 --> 00:28:38,549
strongly urge you
to take a look at it."

708
00:28:38,551 --> 00:28:42,386
Was there ever any hesitation
  when you were asked to do

709
00:28:42,388 --> 00:28:43,821
 an Indian accent
  in the casting room?

710
00:28:43,823 --> 00:28:45,255
I always thought to myself,
  like, "Look,

711
00:28:45,257 --> 00:28:46,557
if this is
 a really cool part,

712
00:28:46,559 --> 00:28:48,192
if the guy happens to be
an Indian guy,

713
00:28:48,194 --> 00:28:50,694
 if I take the part,
I accept the responsibility

714
00:28:50,696 --> 00:28:52,096
of lending the character

715
00:28:52,098 --> 00:28:53,864
  more dignity
than what's written there,

716
00:28:53,866 --> 00:28:55,399
and to be able
to challenge the director

717
00:28:55,401 --> 00:28:56,600
  and the creatives

718
00:28:56,602 --> 00:28:59,036
and, hopefully, not be
fired for that."

719
00:28:59,038 --> 00:29:02,573
 So, how easily can something
turn into a racist meme?

720
00:29:02,575 --> 00:29:04,975
Well, despite only being
  said eight times

721
00:29:04,977 --> 00:29:07,478
 over the entire course
  of "The Simpsons" history,

722
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:08,746
 "Thank you, come again"

723
00:29:08,748 --> 00:29:10,247
  has haunted Indian children

724
00:29:10,249 --> 00:29:12,416
  for over a quarter century.

725
00:29:12,418 --> 00:29:13,717
Why?

726
00:29:13,719 --> 00:29:15,786
It's funny because it's racist.

727
00:29:15,788 --> 00:29:17,955
Uh...this could
  take a while, folks.

728
00:29:17,957 --> 00:29:19,423
Thank you, come again.

729
00:29:19,425 --> 00:29:21,625
 How would you
 define "patanking"

730
00:29:21,627 --> 00:29:23,427
if you were to explain
what that means?

731
00:29:23,429 --> 00:29:27,965
 Patanking is
  being asked to speak

732
00:29:27,967 --> 00:29:32,202
in a broad Indian accent
 with broad acting.

733
00:29:32,204 --> 00:29:33,971
They want the accent
to sound like this,

734
00:29:33,973 --> 00:29:36,206
and they want your tongue to be
 really pulled back.

735
00:29:36,208 --> 00:29:38,008
So, patanking was going
  into a room

736
00:29:38,010 --> 00:29:40,377
and having to do that
exact thing in front of people,

737
00:29:40,379 --> 00:29:41,211
like a monkey.

738
00:29:45,518 --> 00:29:48,218
This voice has caused
  so much trouble.

739
00:29:48,220 --> 00:29:49,920
  So, how did Hank
  come up with it?

740
00:29:49,922 --> 00:29:52,189
When I first moved to L.A.,

741
00:29:52,191 --> 00:29:55,626
most of the 7-Eleven guys were
Indian and Pakistani.

742
00:29:55,628 --> 00:29:57,161
Then also, Peter Sellers
in "The Party,"

743
00:29:57,163 --> 00:29:59,463
 one of my favorite
 performances ever.

744
00:29:59,465 --> 00:30:00,798
Sir, excuse me.

745
00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:02,766
What is the name of a game

746
00:30:02,768 --> 00:30:05,402
that has a multitude
of colored balls like that?

747
00:30:05,404 --> 00:30:06,703
Pool.
Poo?

748
00:30:06,705 --> 00:30:08,038
What?
  Poo?

749
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:09,840
 No, not poo. Pool.

750
00:30:09,842 --> 00:30:11,708
Pool. Pool!
Pool! Now you got it.

751
00:30:11,710 --> 00:30:13,243
Ah! Oh, like swimming pool.
 You got it, honey.

752
00:30:13,245 --> 00:30:15,345
I never heard of a game
 called Poo.

753
00:30:15,347 --> 00:30:16,847
 You know, I've since learned

754
00:30:16,849 --> 00:30:19,116
that a lot
of Southern Asian people,

755
00:30:19,118 --> 00:30:23,020
found that Peter Sellers
  portrayal fairly offensive.

756
00:30:23,022 --> 00:30:24,288
No

757
00:30:24,290 --> 00:30:25,656
  What, did you get
 Inspector Clouseau

758
00:30:25,658 --> 00:30:27,524
to help you solve that mystery?

759
00:30:27,526 --> 00:30:29,059
Inspector Clouseau.

760
00:30:29,061 --> 00:30:31,295
That's Peter Sellers.

761
00:30:33,899 --> 00:30:38,135
How different is
 a Southasian actor patanking

762
00:30:38,137 --> 00:30:41,705
 versus, like,
Hank Azaria doing that voice?

763
00:30:41,707 --> 00:30:43,440
Because as
 a Southasian actor,

764
00:30:43,442 --> 00:30:46,043
  it is part
of my cultural heritage.

765
00:30:46,045 --> 00:30:48,512
 Hmm.
 It's part of,
like, what I --

766
00:30:48,514 --> 00:30:50,180
what I ow-- It's mine.

767
00:30:50,182 --> 00:30:53,617
So, like, a white guy doing it
 sort of feels like

768
00:30:53,619 --> 00:30:58,055
 you're...
usurping my culture.

769
00:30:58,057 --> 00:30:59,723
An invasion.
A kind of exploitation,

770
00:30:59,725 --> 00:31:04,461
but also kind of like
using it to further a narrative

771
00:31:04,463 --> 00:31:06,930
within sort of
 the larger culture

772
00:31:06,932 --> 00:31:08,899
about me and my people.

773
00:31:08,901 --> 00:31:10,300
 You're never gonna see
  two Indians guys in a club

774
00:31:10,302 --> 00:31:15,405
 standing around going,
  "Hey, man. Aren't we cool?

775
00:31:15,407 --> 00:31:17,841
  Don't we sound really hip?"

776
00:31:17,843 --> 00:31:19,977
To a lot of people, I think,
 you're known for,

777
00:31:19,979 --> 00:31:21,511
like, incredible accents.

778
00:31:21,513 --> 00:31:24,715
And you've done them
throughout your career.

779
00:31:24,717 --> 00:31:27,885
There is a criticism of, like,
"How come he uses accents?

780
00:31:27,887 --> 00:31:29,987
 Is it okay for him
  to use accents?"

781
00:31:29,989 --> 00:31:31,722
 Is that something
you've had to respond to?

782
00:31:31,724 --> 00:31:33,924
The most commonly
 asked question is,

783
00:31:33,926 --> 00:31:35,859
 "Well, what if a white guy
 did these jokes?"

784
00:31:35,861 --> 00:31:37,961
 And I go, "Don't get
 caught up on my color

785
00:31:37,963 --> 00:31:39,730
 and don't get caught up
 on the words.

786
00:31:39,732 --> 00:31:41,398
 Get caught up
in the intent."

787
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:44,801
Most of the 7-Eleven guys were
Indian and Pakistani.

788
00:31:44,803 --> 00:31:45,969
 And there was one,
in particular,

789
00:31:45,971 --> 00:31:49,273
  who lived near me
 who was pretty crusty.

790
00:31:49,275 --> 00:31:51,909
 And I would often have
  the same exchange with him

791
00:31:51,911 --> 00:31:52,976
 all the time.

792
00:31:52,978 --> 00:31:54,778
 I would be in line,

793
00:31:54,780 --> 00:31:58,882
buying a drink,
and I'd open the Gatorade

794
00:31:58,884 --> 00:32:00,984
  before I'm waiting to pay,
and he would get annoyed.

795
00:32:00,986 --> 00:32:02,686
"Why do you
open your unpaid product there?

796
00:32:02,688 --> 00:32:04,721
 Please don't open that
until you have paid."

797
00:32:04,723 --> 00:32:05,923
I'm like...

798
00:32:05,925 --> 00:32:08,191
 "Am I running out the store?
  what am I doing?"

799
00:32:08,193 --> 00:32:10,527
There's nothing wrong
with doing an accent.

800
00:32:10,529 --> 00:32:14,431
An accent is a crucial part
 of a character.

801
00:32:14,433 --> 00:32:16,233
It's when the accent

802
00:32:16,235 --> 00:32:20,704
lends itself to being
part of a joke

803
00:32:20,706 --> 00:32:22,072
about the person,

804
00:32:22,074 --> 00:32:24,041
it's a racist dig,

805
00:32:24,043 --> 00:32:26,176
  that's when
the accent's problematic.

806
00:32:26,178 --> 00:32:28,879
  You know that a white guy
  does the voice?
  Huh?!

807
00:32:28,881 --> 00:32:30,047
'Cause the voice is --

808
00:32:30,049 --> 00:32:31,381
 It's actually done
  by a Hank Azaria,

809
00:32:31,383 --> 00:32:33,116
who's a white voice actor.

810
00:32:33,118 --> 00:32:35,319
 How did you find out it was
a white guy that did the voice?

811
00:32:35,321 --> 00:32:37,521
I don't know. I think,
like, after a long time.

812
00:32:37,523 --> 00:32:39,122
I definitely assumed
he was Indian.

813
00:32:39,124 --> 00:32:41,124
How do<i> you</i> feel
  about that?

814
00:32:41,126 --> 00:32:42,926
Oh, I'm making a movie
 about how much I dislike it.

815
00:32:42,928 --> 00:32:46,363
  Finding out just now
 that it was a white guy

816
00:32:46,365 --> 00:32:47,831
 is kind of --

817
00:32:47,833 --> 00:32:49,566
 that makes me a little bit
uncomfortable, for sure.

818
00:32:49,568 --> 00:32:50,934
I don't know whether --

819
00:32:50,936 --> 00:32:52,903
'cause people, like,
 imitate him.

820
00:32:52,905 --> 00:32:55,672
I don't know whether it makes
it more or less racist

821
00:32:55,674 --> 00:32:57,874
to imitate a white guy
pretending to be Indian.

822
00:32:59,445 --> 00:33:00,877
Does that make sense?

823
00:33:00,879 --> 00:33:04,481
I will tell you it makes me
equally uncomfortable.

824
00:33:04,483 --> 00:33:09,119
The bottom line was always
"what's funnier?"

825
00:33:09,121 --> 00:33:11,188
Our job is
 to write a comedy.

826
00:33:11,190 --> 00:33:14,424
 The fact is,
sober Barney, not funny.

827
00:33:14,426 --> 00:33:15,258
 Right.

828
00:33:15,260 --> 00:33:18,095
Out Smithers, not as funny.

829
00:33:18,097 --> 00:33:23,066
Humor comes out
 of conflict.

830
00:33:23,068 --> 00:33:29,039
And the seven deadly sins
and our less --

831
00:33:29,041 --> 00:33:31,141
and our more --

832
00:33:31,143 --> 00:33:33,143
the aspects of our personality

833
00:33:33,145 --> 00:33:34,544
that we're maybe not
 so proud of.

834
00:33:34,546 --> 00:33:36,680
  What was Apu's flaw?

835
00:33:36,682 --> 00:33:39,449
I wouldn't say
he was flawed,

836
00:33:39,451 --> 00:33:44,721
 but he was
a first-generation immigrant

837
00:33:44,723 --> 00:33:47,557
with all of the trappings.

838
00:33:47,559 --> 00:33:50,394
  But I mean, could you say that
a lot of the stuff that Apu says

839
00:33:50,396 --> 00:33:53,530
  wouldn't hit as hard
without the accent?

840
00:33:53,532 --> 00:33:57,734
Yeah, well, there are accents
that by their nature,

841
00:33:57,736 --> 00:34:00,937
 to white Americans,

842
00:34:00,939 --> 00:34:03,206
  I can only speak
  from experience,

843
00:34:03,208 --> 00:34:05,909
sound funny, period.

844
00:34:05,911 --> 00:34:09,880
But there were a lot of people
 that did not agree with Dana.

845
00:34:09,882 --> 00:34:13,050
And if Hank is anything like me,
  he definitely checks Twitter

846
00:34:13,052 --> 00:34:15,752
 every five minutes,
especially on the toilet.

847
00:34:15,754 --> 00:34:18,088
The public wants answers, Hank!

848
00:34:22,728 --> 00:34:25,762
The public wants answers, Hank!

849
00:34:27,433 --> 00:34:29,199
I always
loved stand-up comedy as a kid.

850
00:34:29,201 --> 00:34:31,034
Like, it was, like, magic to me.

851
00:34:31,036 --> 00:34:32,936
  Well, I knew that
I wanted to do that,

852
00:34:32,938 --> 00:34:34,704
except I was 17

853
00:34:34,706 --> 00:34:36,406
and didn't have
 a complicated life.

854
00:34:36,408 --> 00:34:39,476
 What I did have was
  the fact that I was Indian.

855
00:34:39,478 --> 00:34:41,611
 Oh, you got that from India!

856
00:34:41,613 --> 00:34:44,047
You got me!

857
00:34:44,049 --> 00:34:47,284
Oh, you got me!

858
00:34:47,286 --> 00:34:49,619
 I-I have some chicken dinner
 in my backpack.

859
00:34:49,621 --> 00:34:51,288
Do you want some?

860
00:34:51,290 --> 00:34:53,190
Hey, rub my belly.
I'll give you three wishes!

861
00:34:53,192 --> 00:34:54,624
Yeah, come on!

862
00:34:54,626 --> 00:34:57,427
So, I milked it
as much as I could.

863
00:34:57,429 --> 00:35:00,831
Like, every corny joke
about race I could imagine,

864
00:35:00,833 --> 00:35:02,766
like, jokes about curry
and taxi cabs,

865
00:35:02,768 --> 00:35:04,968
gas stations,
convenience stores,

866
00:35:04,970 --> 00:35:06,670
and it was awful.

867
00:35:06,672 --> 00:35:09,539
And I probably did that
for about,

868
00:35:09,541 --> 00:35:11,741
I don't know,
four or five years.

869
00:35:11,743 --> 00:35:13,110
And then, 9/11 happened.

870
00:35:16,148 --> 00:35:17,914
The world was falling apart,

871
00:35:17,916 --> 00:35:20,917
 and I felt more like a minority
 than ever before.

872
00:35:20,919 --> 00:35:22,085
So why was I on stage,

873
00:35:22,087 --> 00:35:24,888
doing crappy impressions
of my parents?

874
00:35:24,890 --> 00:35:28,892
I was minimizing them
the same way America always had.

875
00:35:28,894 --> 00:35:31,261
My comedy had to shift
from the way people saw me

876
00:35:31,263 --> 00:35:34,231
towards the way
I wanted to be seen.

877
00:35:34,233 --> 00:35:35,832
I hate when people say
they can't see color.

878
00:35:35,834 --> 00:35:37,167
Like, "I can't see race."

879
00:35:37,169 --> 00:35:38,835
If you can't see race,
you can't see racism.

880
00:35:38,837 --> 00:35:41,138
  Then, what good are you to me?
  You know what I mean?

881
00:35:41,140 --> 00:35:43,173
I hate that
I hate that.

882
00:35:43,175 --> 00:35:44,608
And people say
they can't see race,

883
00:35:44,610 --> 00:35:46,977
  and I think that leads to
  more racism, like, every year.

884
00:35:46,979 --> 00:35:49,980
Like, when did Halloween turn
into racist Christmas, right?

885
00:35:49,982 --> 00:35:51,314
When...

886
00:35:51,316 --> 00:35:52,616
When is that the year
people think

887
00:35:52,618 --> 00:35:54,618
they can get a pass
on being super racist,

888
00:35:54,620 --> 00:35:56,720
 wearing blackface
 or a Geisha outfit or whatever?

889
00:35:56,722 --> 00:35:59,122
Why do they assume that?
Every year you see people --

890
00:35:59,124 --> 00:36:01,291
 White people wearing blackface.
 It's not just white people.

891
00:36:01,293 --> 00:36:03,593
It's also people of color
that have chosen their sides.

892
00:36:06,431 --> 00:36:08,832
I would go to the Comedy Zone,
and I loved the Comedy Zone.

893
00:36:08,834 --> 00:36:10,767
I'd see all these comics,
and they'd put my friends

894
00:36:10,769 --> 00:36:13,036
 in the front row
'cause we were brown people.

895
00:36:13,038 --> 00:36:14,437
At first we thought it
was great, and then we realized

896
00:36:14,439 --> 00:36:16,606
they're just gonna pick on us
  the whole time.

897
00:36:16,608 --> 00:36:18,742
And it wasn't just one time.
It was every time.

898
00:36:18,744 --> 00:36:20,110
It'd be racist ,
and I'm like,

899
00:36:20,112 --> 00:36:22,445
  "Okay, it's a joke.
You gotta take a joke."

900
00:36:22,447 --> 00:36:25,115
But we never got to reply,
'cause there was never a comic

901
00:36:25,117 --> 00:36:28,218
 who was gonna go on stage
who was Indian-American...

902
00:36:28,220 --> 00:36:30,320
 And defend you guys.
There was no response.

903
00:36:30,322 --> 00:36:32,422
And you know,
I wanted to be that response.

904
00:36:32,424 --> 00:36:35,759
There's a kind of complacency
that happens in our culture,

905
00:36:35,761 --> 00:36:37,961
like, around that stuff,
you know,

906
00:36:37,963 --> 00:36:41,464
where even we start going like,
  "Oh, it's funny!"
  Mm-hmm.

907
00:36:41,466 --> 00:36:43,833
And this is the insidiousness
 of racism.

908
00:36:43,835 --> 00:36:47,270
  The person who is
subjected to it or --

909
00:36:47,272 --> 00:36:49,806
is buying into it
as sort of a cultural norm.

910
00:36:49,808 --> 00:36:51,541
Like, "It's not a problem.
It's fine.

911
00:36:51,543 --> 00:36:53,877
What's the big deal?
You're overreacting."

912
00:36:53,879 --> 00:36:55,178
One thing
 people don't understand

913
00:36:55,180 --> 00:36:58,014
is that something can be
 really funny

914
00:36:58,016 --> 00:37:02,385
and still wrong
or morally questionable.

915
00:37:02,387 --> 00:37:05,589
The fun part about comedy is
that you're transgressive.

916
00:37:05,591 --> 00:37:07,290
 Yeah.
When you say,
"When I see Hank Azaria

917
00:37:07,292 --> 00:37:08,558
I'm gonna kick the
  out of him,"

918
00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:09,926
the funny part about that
for the audience is

919
00:37:09,928 --> 00:37:11,161
that you're not kicking
the  out of nobody.

920
00:37:11,163 --> 00:37:12,529
  Yeah.
 So, that's the line
you're cr--

921
00:37:12,531 --> 00:37:13,964
 Like, "Oh, really?
Is that what you're gonna do?"

922
00:37:13,966 --> 00:37:15,365
 But we also relate

923
00:37:15,367 --> 00:37:17,968
to your intense anger
or feeling about it.

924
00:37:17,970 --> 00:37:19,869
But we also are not worried
 about Hank Azaria.

925
00:37:19,871 --> 00:37:22,038
You're right. Right.
You know, he works out.

926
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:23,974
 Yeah, right.
 He's got a big house.

927
00:37:23,976 --> 00:37:26,009
I'm kicking upward.
Yeah, you're punching upward.

928
00:37:26,011 --> 00:37:27,344
 Smithers,
 you infernal ninny!

929
00:37:27,346 --> 00:37:30,447
Stick your left hoof
 on that flange now!

930
00:37:30,449 --> 00:37:32,182
Now, pump those
scrawny chicken legs,

931
00:37:32,184 --> 00:37:33,717
you stuporous funker!

932
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:35,752
Can I bust you
 on something?
 Go ahead.

933
00:37:35,754 --> 00:37:37,754
Do you think Mr. Burns is
 one-dimensional?

934
00:37:37,756 --> 00:37:39,689
  I think Mr. Burns is
 one-dimensional,

935
00:37:39,691 --> 00:37:43,693
but he is a one-dimensional
 caricature of a rich maniac,

936
00:37:43,695 --> 00:37:46,930
 which there are many
  and who have power.
Mm-hmm.

937
00:37:46,932 --> 00:37:49,199
  I think an Indian
 convenience store owner

938
00:37:49,201 --> 00:37:50,967
who's accented
doesn't have power,

939
00:37:50,969 --> 00:37:52,936
especially
 in that situation.

940
00:37:52,938 --> 00:37:54,871
  And if I believe
 that we should go after

941
00:37:54,873 --> 00:37:57,274
people with more power
  as much as we can,

942
00:37:57,276 --> 00:38:00,010
 which "The Simpsons"
 certainly does brilliantly.
Right.

943
00:38:00,012 --> 00:38:02,646
 To the writers,
there's no difference.

944
00:38:02,648 --> 00:38:05,548
 Mr. Burns is funny
 in these four ways,

945
00:38:05,550 --> 00:38:07,651
 Apu is funny
 in these four ways.

946
00:38:07,653 --> 00:38:09,552
 That's so mechanical,
though.

947
00:38:09,554 --> 00:38:11,354
It's the nature of writing
 a television show,

948
00:38:11,356 --> 00:38:14,557
when you have to write 22
half-hour stories a year

949
00:38:14,559 --> 00:38:17,594
 for 25 years that
don't repeat themselves.

950
00:38:17,596 --> 00:38:21,765
 By the time you got there,
 was there a sense of,

951
00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:23,099
  like, any kind of regret?

952
00:38:23,101 --> 00:38:26,102
 Like, "I wish this character
 wasn't built this way"?

953
00:38:26,104 --> 00:38:30,040
I think if "The Simpsons"
were being done today,

954
00:38:30,042 --> 00:38:32,475
I'm not sure if you could
have Apu voiced by Hank.

955
00:38:32,477 --> 00:38:34,744
 I mean, do you see that as
 a good thing or a bad thing?

956
00:38:34,746 --> 00:38:37,380
Is there a value,
 or is it just the way it is?

957
00:38:37,382 --> 00:38:39,382
I see it as a "thing."

958
00:38:39,384 --> 00:38:43,486
How much do you want to tear
at the fabric of the show?

959
00:38:43,488 --> 00:38:47,957
Do you want to pull Apu,
a beloved character,

960
00:38:47,959 --> 00:38:50,727
out of the Kwik-E-Mart,
  a beloved setting,

961
00:38:50,729 --> 00:38:55,031
just for the sake
of updating that character

962
00:38:55,033 --> 00:38:58,068
to be less
anachronistic?

963
00:38:58,070 --> 00:38:59,869
How have we been so overlooked

964
00:38:59,871 --> 00:39:02,839
by the comedy writers
 I'd grown up idolizing?

965
00:39:02,841 --> 00:39:04,774
It's like they didn't
  even think of us.

966
00:39:04,776 --> 00:39:07,310
It influenced, like,
our whole class of comedians.
Yeah.

967
00:39:07,312 --> 00:39:09,713
And some of our favorite writers
came from there --

968
00:39:09,715 --> 00:39:12,482
 Dana Gould, Conan,
like, so many.
  Yeah.

969
00:39:12,484 --> 00:39:15,618
And to me,
  I was like, "Oh."

970
00:39:15,620 --> 00:39:18,188
Like, was that just, like,
a blind spot to these people

971
00:39:18,190 --> 00:39:20,090
that are considered to be
 comedic geniuses?

972
00:39:20,092 --> 00:39:22,659
I feel like that still happens
in writers' rooms now.

973
00:39:22,661 --> 00:39:24,928
It's like whoever sits
at the table,

974
00:39:24,930 --> 00:39:26,563
informs the discussion.

975
00:39:26,565 --> 00:39:29,099
  So if it's, like,
all white men,

976
00:39:29,101 --> 00:39:30,967
you're gonna have someone
make an off-color joke

977
00:39:30,969 --> 00:39:34,838
and not realize the extent
to which it is inappropriate.

978
00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:37,006
When does the actor
 have culpability?

979
00:39:37,008 --> 00:39:39,876
Like, does Hank Azaria
  have some responsibility,

980
00:39:39,878 --> 00:39:41,478
or is he just an actor
 playing a role

981
00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:43,680
 and he was lucky enough
to have it for 26 years?

982
00:39:43,682 --> 00:39:45,548
  It's hard for me
 to blame the actor.

983
00:39:45,550 --> 00:39:47,717
 It lives
in a systemic culture

984
00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:50,954
of how are Southasians
represented.

985
00:39:50,956 --> 00:39:53,456
If we're funny
just because of an accent

986
00:39:53,458 --> 00:39:54,724
 or just because --

987
00:39:54,726 --> 00:39:57,227
if that's the only version of us
that is seen

988
00:39:57,229 --> 00:39:59,529
and that's the only version
 that's allowed

989
00:39:59,531 --> 00:40:04,000
because the audience will accept
one version of Southasians,

990
00:40:04,002 --> 00:40:05,402
they won't accept something

991
00:40:05,404 --> 00:40:07,337
that's nuanced
 or it's just not --

992
00:40:07,339 --> 00:40:09,072
it's too complicated,
 you know.

993
00:40:09,074 --> 00:40:12,575
I don't think Hank Azaria
thought about it...

994
00:40:12,577 --> 00:40:13,877
 probably that much.

995
00:40:13,879 --> 00:40:16,579
It was just a funny character,
one among many that he did.

996
00:40:16,581 --> 00:40:18,314
I mean,
that's part of comedy, too.

997
00:40:18,316 --> 00:40:20,950
I mean, I think
that the media that is created,

998
00:40:20,952 --> 00:40:23,052
 I mean, part of it
is to have a conversation.

999
00:40:23,054 --> 00:40:25,422
And with stand up,
you're having a conversation.

1000
00:40:25,424 --> 00:40:26,656
You might not be having
the conversation

1001
00:40:26,658 --> 00:40:28,258
directly with the performer,

1002
00:40:28,260 --> 00:40:30,460
but the stuff I hear other
performers say I think about.

1003
00:40:30,462 --> 00:40:33,196
Like, that's a lot of people
who feel that way.

1004
00:40:33,198 --> 00:40:34,597
It's not just him.
I'm not going after him.

1005
00:40:34,599 --> 00:40:36,032
I'm going after all the people
that laughed...
Yeah.

1006
00:40:36,034 --> 00:40:37,233
and feel the same way.

1007
00:40:37,235 --> 00:40:38,968
How do I address that point?

1008
00:40:38,970 --> 00:40:40,670
That's why representation's
important.

1009
00:40:40,672 --> 00:40:42,305
I mean, this is
 a big discussion.

1010
00:40:42,307 --> 00:40:44,541
And I hope that Hank Azaria
understands that

1011
00:40:44,543 --> 00:40:46,910
and sits down and talks to you,
because I don't think

1012
00:40:46,912 --> 00:40:48,645
 you're necessarily
going after him.

1013
00:40:48,647 --> 00:40:50,980
 But I think he's a part
 of this conversation.

1014
00:40:50,982 --> 00:40:52,982
I've been trying
 to get Hank Azaria

1015
00:40:52,984 --> 00:40:54,417
 to be in
this documentary,

1016
00:40:54,419 --> 00:40:56,286
obviously,
 because it's about Apu,

1017
00:40:56,288 --> 00:40:57,554
  and he voices Apu.
Yeah.

1018
00:40:57,556 --> 00:40:59,088
How do we get him, Dana?

1019
00:40:59,090 --> 00:41:00,223
 I don't know.

1020
00:41:00,225 --> 00:41:04,027
I would be astounded
if he would voluntarily

1021
00:41:04,029 --> 00:41:08,031
want to justify
 any of his voices.

1022
00:41:08,033 --> 00:41:10,400
 I still think he should be
  in the documentary, obviously.

1023
00:41:10,402 --> 00:41:11,835
But, like...Yeah.
Well, yeah, sure.

1024
00:41:11,837 --> 00:41:14,270
But I do think
  that I don't want --

1025
00:41:14,272 --> 00:41:16,639
It's in your self-interest
to have him in the documentary,

1026
00:41:16,641 --> 00:41:18,808
and it's in his self-interest
 to not be in it.

1027
00:41:20,145 --> 00:41:23,179
It all just seemed so hopeless.

1028
00:41:26,384 --> 00:41:28,718
But then I got an e-mail
  from Hank saying

1029
00:41:28,720 --> 00:41:31,321
 he might be willing to talk.

1030
00:41:31,323 --> 00:41:32,489
Whoa.

1031
00:41:36,394 --> 00:41:38,027
So, it might be happening.

1032
00:41:38,029 --> 00:41:40,897
Hank Azaria might
actually talk to me.

1033
00:41:40,899 --> 00:41:44,734
This is almost very exciting.

1034
00:41:44,736 --> 00:41:46,903
But now what?
What am I gonna tell him?

1035
00:41:46,905 --> 00:41:49,239
Just stop doing the voice?

1036
00:41:49,241 --> 00:41:51,774
I need some creative solutions
for this mess.

1037
00:41:51,776 --> 00:41:54,143
I don't know what the solution
is to tweak it.

1038
00:41:54,145 --> 00:41:56,312
 I don't know
if you can tweak it.

1039
00:41:56,314 --> 00:41:58,081
I also don't want them
to kill Apu,

1040
00:41:58,083 --> 00:41:59,916
although it might actually
make a good episode,

1041
00:41:59,918 --> 00:42:01,384
  which they're in
 desperate need of.

1042
00:42:01,386 --> 00:42:02,986
I was --
 I was thinking about that.

1043
00:42:02,988 --> 00:42:04,287
 But the idea of,
 like, killing

1044
00:42:04,289 --> 00:42:06,623
  the Indian immigrant
 is also upsetting, like...

1045
00:42:06,625 --> 00:42:08,525
Well, he can't win with you.
Right.

1046
00:42:08,527 --> 00:42:10,960
What if there's an episode
where he just drops the accent?

1047
00:42:10,962 --> 00:42:12,896
He was, like --
  No, I'm serious --

1048
00:42:12,898 --> 00:42:14,864
And it was, like,
all just an elaborate ruse?

1049
00:42:14,866 --> 00:42:17,634
 Hey, brah.
 Come in and chill-ax.

1050
00:42:17,636 --> 00:42:20,436
Now, I'm not the only one who's
 tried to solve this problem.

1051
00:42:20,438 --> 00:42:23,540
"The Simpsons" themselves
attempted to in 2016,

1052
00:42:23,542 --> 00:42:25,341
  during season 27,

1053
00:42:25,343 --> 00:42:28,211
  when they introduced Apu's
 Indian-American nephew

1054
00:42:28,213 --> 00:42:30,413
  voiced by Utkarsh Ambudkar.

1055
00:42:30,415 --> 00:42:33,216
 So, you did the voice
of Apu's nephew,

1056
00:42:33,218 --> 00:42:35,852
  who was the first Indian-
American character on that show.

1057
00:42:35,854 --> 00:42:37,186
 How did they approach
 you about that?

1058
00:42:37,188 --> 00:42:38,321
I got an offer.

1059
00:42:38,323 --> 00:42:41,491
I got this
  super-cool letter

1060
00:42:41,493 --> 00:42:44,060
with "The Simpsons" heading
that said,

1061
00:42:44,062 --> 00:42:45,395
  "Dear," you know,

1062
00:42:45,397 --> 00:42:47,530
"Utkarsh, will you come
and be on the show?"

1063
00:42:47,532 --> 00:42:51,200
And at that point I'm just like,
 "Sweet sweet sweet, Simpsons...

1064
00:42:51,202 --> 00:42:53,169
 Oh, man.
I know how this goes.

1065
00:42:53,171 --> 00:42:54,604
Do I have to do an accent?"

1066
00:42:54,606 --> 00:42:56,239
"No, we don't want you
to do an accent.

1067
00:42:56,241 --> 00:42:58,675
 We've been getting
a lot of heat," whatever it is.

1068
00:42:58,677 --> 00:43:01,144
 "We want to present
an Indian-American."

1069
00:43:01,146 --> 00:43:02,378
 Check it.

1070
00:43:02,380 --> 00:43:03,613
I just bitch-slapped your
Kwik-E-Mart

1071
00:43:03,615 --> 00:43:06,215
 into the 21st Century!

1072
00:43:06,217 --> 00:43:09,586
 There's a moment
where I'm, like, bashing Apu.

1073
00:43:09,588 --> 00:43:11,187
 And I'm like,
"You're a stereotype!

1074
00:43:11,189 --> 00:43:12,622
Why do you talk like that?"

1075
00:43:12,624 --> 00:43:15,091
 And I had an "alt,"
  where I was like,

1076
00:43:15,093 --> 00:43:17,594
"You sound like a white guy

1077
00:43:17,596 --> 00:43:20,930
 doing a bad version
of an Indian accent."

1078
00:43:20,932 --> 00:43:23,232
 I'll say that,
and then you cut

1079
00:43:23,234 --> 00:43:26,069
to the real Hank Azaria
in the booth.

1080
00:43:26,071 --> 00:43:27,670
That's so good!

1081
00:43:27,672 --> 00:43:31,140
Look, and have him look
 at the camera.
  That's so good!

1082
00:43:31,142 --> 00:43:32,675
 And then, cut back
to the cartoon.

1083
00:43:32,677 --> 00:43:34,544
  That, like,
 solves the thing.

1084
00:43:34,546 --> 00:43:36,045
  Did you do the take?

1085
00:43:36,047 --> 00:43:37,213
  I did.

1086
00:43:37,215 --> 00:43:38,848
But, uh...
But they weren't having it.

1087
00:43:38,850 --> 00:43:42,018
 Was there ever a moment
of second-guessing,

1088
00:43:42,020 --> 00:43:43,252
  or was there ever
 a moment of regret,

1089
00:43:43,254 --> 00:43:44,721
"Maybe I shouldn't have,

1090
00:43:44,723 --> 00:43:47,023
  maybe I'm taking them off
  the hook by doing this."

1091
00:43:47,025 --> 00:43:48,891
 Like, was there ever that?

1092
00:43:48,893 --> 00:43:51,160
Oh, yeah, when I watched it.

1093
00:43:51,162 --> 00:43:52,829
Really?
Well, yeah.

1094
00:43:52,831 --> 00:43:57,233
 I mean...
"The Simpsons" wins.

1095
00:43:57,235 --> 00:43:58,368
I wanted to win.

1096
00:43:58,370 --> 00:44:00,103
You're my uncle, brah,
 and I love you.

1097
00:44:00,105 --> 00:44:01,971
But you're a stereotype, man!

1098
00:44:01,973 --> 00:44:05,341
"Take a penny, leave a penny.
 I'm Indian. I do yoga."

1099
00:44:05,343 --> 00:44:07,477
Why don't you go back to
 the "Temple of Doom,"

1100
00:44:07,479 --> 00:44:09,045
  Dr. Jones?"

1101
00:44:09,047 --> 00:44:10,980
He leaves, and then
an Italian guy comes out

1102
00:44:10,982 --> 00:44:12,482
who's the full-blown
stereotype.

1103
00:44:12,484 --> 00:44:14,617
Stereotype-a?

1104
00:44:14,619 --> 00:44:18,688
Who's a stereotype-a?
  That's a spicy accusation!

1105
00:44:18,690 --> 00:44:20,423
You pipe down!
Hey!

1106
00:44:20,425 --> 00:44:22,025
And it's like "The Simpsons",
the show,

1107
00:44:22,027 --> 00:44:24,293
being like,
 "Stop complaining.

1108
00:44:24,295 --> 00:44:26,029
We do this to everyone."

1109
00:44:26,031 --> 00:44:29,932
Okay, so, "The Simpsons" gave us
  a less-than-satisfying answer

1110
00:44:29,934 --> 00:44:31,567
to this Apu problem.

1111
00:44:31,569 --> 00:44:35,204
And now Hank had an opportunity
to change this.

1112
00:44:35,206 --> 00:44:37,874
 "Hey, Hari, thanks
  for sending me those clips.

1113
00:44:37,876 --> 00:44:39,242
The film looks
 really interesting

1114
00:44:39,244 --> 00:44:40,443
 and thought-provoking.

1115
00:44:40,445 --> 00:44:41,944
  I'm glad you're making it.

1116
00:44:41,946 --> 00:44:45,982
Having said that..."
 That's not good, okay.

1117
00:44:45,984 --> 00:44:47,116
 "Having said that,

1118
00:44:47,118 --> 00:44:49,452
 it's not something
I can participate in.

1119
00:44:53,925 --> 00:44:55,692
I'm not comfortable, one,

1120
00:44:55,694 --> 00:44:57,927
 speaking on behalf
 of the whole show,

1121
00:44:57,929 --> 00:45:01,831
two, throwing myself
 upon the mercy of your edit.

1122
00:45:01,833 --> 00:45:03,499
It's nothing against you.

1123
00:45:03,501 --> 00:45:07,136
 As I said, I think
  what you're doing is great.

1124
00:45:07,138 --> 00:45:09,205
  I would definitely be open
to reconnecting

1125
00:45:09,207 --> 00:45:10,740
  after the film is finished

1126
00:45:10,742 --> 00:45:14,143
and finding
  a mutually-acceptable forum

1127
00:45:14,145 --> 00:45:16,979
 for us to have a conversation
about this.

1128
00:45:16,981 --> 00:45:20,316
 If that still interests you,
 let me know.

1129
00:45:20,318 --> 00:45:21,951
  All the best to you, Hari,

1130
00:45:21,953 --> 00:45:25,154
  and keep up the great work.
  Hank."

1131
00:45:27,992 --> 00:45:29,926
 That's great that he --

1132
00:45:29,928 --> 00:45:34,063
  He gets to choose
 how he wants to be portrayed.

1133
00:45:34,065 --> 00:45:35,398
  What a privilege.

1134
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:40,536
He gets to choose how he
  is viewed by other people.

1135
00:45:40,538 --> 00:45:42,605
So  ironic.

1136
00:45:42,607 --> 00:45:46,109
 ♪ I like to have fun ♪

1137
00:45:46,111 --> 00:45:48,745
  ♪ And stick out my tongue ♪

1138
00:45:48,747 --> 00:45:54,383
  Wow. So, this whole thing was
a giant waste of time and money!

1139
00:45:54,385 --> 00:45:56,252
Luckily, it was
 somebody else's money,

1140
00:45:56,254 --> 00:45:59,122
but still, nothing was solved!

1141
00:46:00,425 --> 00:46:03,025
We never got to
 those responsible.

1142
00:46:03,027 --> 00:46:07,163
  It was just some film about
 some cartoon character.

1143
00:46:07,165 --> 00:46:09,499
 Or maybe it wasn't.

1144
00:46:09,501 --> 00:46:13,536
You're showing a kid,
a comedian, a filmmaker,

1145
00:46:13,538 --> 00:46:15,638
an actor, a musician,

1146
00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:17,840
 who's Indian,
Southasian-American,

1147
00:46:17,842 --> 00:46:19,275
that they can do this

1148
00:46:19,277 --> 00:46:21,310
  and it can make it
on television and film.

1149
00:46:21,312 --> 00:46:23,379
 And you're not
a computer dude right now.

1150
00:46:23,381 --> 00:46:25,014
You're not an asexual being.

1151
00:46:25,016 --> 00:46:27,884
We wrote the "Kama Sutra."
We taught you how to

1152
00:46:27,886 --> 00:46:31,053
You're building,
and I think this is the way

1153
00:46:31,055 --> 00:46:33,189
to move forward

1154
00:46:33,191 --> 00:46:35,758
and create sort of a --

1155
00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:38,394
a blueprint for
the generations to come.

1156
00:46:38,396 --> 00:46:40,563
  Here we go!

1157
00:46:40,565 --> 00:46:42,331
There has been
 undeniable progress

1158
00:46:42,333 --> 00:46:44,400
 for Southasian-American
representation

1159
00:46:44,402 --> 00:46:45,935
over the last decade.

1160
00:46:45,937 --> 00:46:47,703
I mean, Aziz has a show.

1161
00:46:47,705 --> 00:46:49,305
  Mindy has a show.

1162
00:46:49,307 --> 00:46:51,374
  I certainly deserve a show.

1163
00:46:51,376 --> 00:46:53,142
  However, we still have room
 to grow,

1164
00:46:53,144 --> 00:46:54,911
 considering I know
 almost every

1165
00:46:54,913 --> 00:46:57,079
 Southasian-American
 in the media.

1166
00:46:57,081 --> 00:46:59,382
And half of them are
 in this film.

1167
00:46:59,384 --> 00:47:02,151
And now a different group
 of Indians...

1168
00:47:02,153 --> 00:47:04,754
 is taking it back.

1169
00:47:04,756 --> 00:47:06,155
Southasians would
come up to me all the time

1170
00:47:06,157 --> 00:47:10,059
and be like, "I'm so glad
that you're there, on that show,

1171
00:47:10,061 --> 00:47:11,594
just by virtue
 of the way you look

1172
00:47:11,596 --> 00:47:14,530
 and the stories
that you get to talk about

1173
00:47:14,532 --> 00:47:15,798
and your perspectives."

1174
00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:17,400
You know, I said to John Stewart
  when I got the job,

1175
00:47:17,402 --> 00:47:20,169
I was like, "Do you want me
 to do the accent?"

1176
00:47:20,171 --> 00:47:22,038
And then he was like,
"What? No!

1177
00:47:23,141 --> 00:47:25,208
  No, I don't think
we need you to that.

1178
00:47:25,210 --> 00:47:27,476
 No!
Just talk like yourself."

1179
00:47:27,478 --> 00:47:29,478
And I was like, "Yes!"

1180
00:47:30,648 --> 00:47:32,315
  This is progress.

1181
00:47:32,317 --> 00:47:34,750
  Progress is you hearing me
talk to you

1182
00:47:34,752 --> 00:47:37,753
 and not hearing a white dude
pretending to be me.

1183
00:47:37,755 --> 00:47:39,355
 Sometimes people also ask me,

1184
00:47:39,357 --> 00:47:41,290
"How come when you do
 impressions of your parents,

1185
00:47:41,292 --> 00:47:42,692
you don't use an accent?"

1186
00:47:42,694 --> 00:47:45,394
And the answer to that question,
of course, is  you.

1187
00:47:45,396 --> 00:47:49,999
 That's why I don't
use an accent.

1188
00:47:50,001 --> 00:47:53,436
  There's an action figure.

1189
00:47:53,438 --> 00:47:55,137
He's got the convenience store.
You can press this button.

1190
00:47:55,139 --> 00:47:58,908
I take it from your yelling
that you like my tofu dogs.

1191
00:47:58,910 --> 00:48:02,078
What the  is that?
 Yes, this is -- yeah.

1192
00:48:02,080 --> 00:48:04,280
Before we wrapped it up,
I just wanted to...

1193
00:48:04,282 --> 00:48:05,615
 Don't give me that.

1194
00:48:05,617 --> 00:48:07,483
 I wanted to give you this.
 I wanted to give you this.

1195
00:48:07,485 --> 00:48:08,618
Do not give me that!

1196
00:48:08,620 --> 00:48:10,152
 I wanted to give you this,
  and this is --

1197
00:48:10,154 --> 00:48:11,387
 I mean,
  I realize you probably...

1198
00:48:11,389 --> 00:48:12,588
 For my Negrobilia.

1199
00:48:12,590 --> 00:48:14,156
 Yeah.
 Okay.

1200
00:48:14,158 --> 00:48:16,726
  Thank you, Whoopi.
Thank you, honey.

1201
00:48:16,728 --> 00:48:20,162
  Look, you're still allowed
 to love "The Simpsons."

1202
00:48:20,164 --> 00:48:21,898
All I'm saying
 is that "The Simpsons"

1203
00:48:21,900 --> 00:48:23,866
is like your racist grandfather.

1204
00:48:23,868 --> 00:48:25,268
  You love your grandfather.

1205
00:48:25,270 --> 00:48:26,936
He's been there your whole life

1206
00:48:26,938 --> 00:48:29,805
 and has taught you
so many valuable things.

1207
00:48:29,807 --> 00:48:32,275
  But he still does
 racist stuff regularly.

1208
00:48:32,277 --> 00:48:34,810
 So if he can't change,

1209
00:48:34,812 --> 00:48:37,146
maybe it's time he dies.

1210
00:48:37,148 --> 00:48:40,116
And you can just remember
 the best things about him --

1211
00:48:40,118 --> 00:48:42,451
seasons 1 through 10.

1212
00:48:47,558 --> 00:48:49,792
 Oh, and one more thing.

1213
00:48:59,304 --> 00:49:00,703
Aah!

1214
00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:03,839
 Yeah, I think about
  what my mom's been through

1215
00:49:03,841 --> 00:49:04,874
 in this country, right?

1216
00:49:04,876 --> 00:49:05,875
  People saying things like,

1217
00:49:05,877 --> 00:49:07,710
"Take that dog off your head,"

1218
00:49:07,712 --> 00:49:10,279
 or "Why are you wearing
 bed sheets out of the house,"

1219
00:49:10,281 --> 00:49:12,315
or "Why don't you shut up
 and make me food?"

1220
00:49:12,317 --> 00:49:13,716
 And this is just stuff
 me and my brothers

1221
00:49:13,718 --> 00:49:14,650
said to her, growing up.

1222
00:49:14,652 --> 00:49:16,118
Now, can you imagine

1223
00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:17,820
 what she dealt with
  out of the house?