The Simpsons cast Sunil Malhotra as Apu and Janina Gavankar as Manjula
Sunil Malhotra has taken over as the voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on The Simpsons, replacing Hank Azaria. Janina Gavankar also joins as Apu’s wife, Manjula. Both actors debuted in the October 18 episode, “Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening,” broadcast on Fox in the United States. Variety first reported the casting, with TVLine independently confirming Malhotra’s appointment.
The change restores Apu to a speaking role after years of silent appearances. Azaria’s last performance as the character aired in October 2017. He announced in January 2020 that he would stop voicing Apu amid criticism of the character’s stereotypical portrayal, including concerns explored in Hari Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem With Apu.
Malhotra’s animation credits include The Legend of Korra and The Legend of Vox Machina. Gavankar, whose television work includes The Morning Show, succeeds previous Manjula performers Jan Hooks and Tress MacNeille.
Executive producer Matt Selman told Variety that Apu and his family will appear more frequently following the recasting. The update therefore establishes an ongoing casting change, rather than a one-episode guest appearance. No specific schedule for their subsequent appearances was provided.
