Argentinian news channel Cronica TV drew criticism for displaying The Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon to announce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in the country for the G20 summit. The channel on Friday showed visuals of an Air India aircraft landing in Buenos Aires and juxtaposed it with a picture of Apu, using a headline “Apu arrives”.
The shopkeeper’s character has been a part of the animation series since 1990. The Indian character, performed by American actor Hank Azaria, has been dubbed to be a racial stereotype. After repeated criticism, it was reported that the show creators may write off Apu’s character from the show.
The news channel reportedly also used the soundtrack “Ring Ring Ringa” from the film Slumdog Millionaire during the clip. Social media users rebuked the channel for the clip.
The series came under scrutiny last year when South Asian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu made a documentary titled The Problem with Apu. In 2017, Kondabolu had told the BBC that the character was “problematic because he is defined by his job and how many children he has in his arranged marriage”.
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