His
Bootleg satires include
The Punisher: Dirty Laundry,
Venom: Truth in Journalism, and
Power/Rangers. In 2015, Shankar signed a three-picture deal with Disney's Maker Studios.
Influences For his controversial "Bootleg Universe" Shankar cites British street artist
Banksy as a major influence. In addition, Shankar frequently cites rapper
Eminem, writer
Warren Ellis, artist
Takashi Murakami, wrestler
Diamond Dallas Page and
Final Fantasy VII character
Sephiroth as artistic and stylistic influences.
"The Apu problem" In April 2018, Shankar started a script contest which he hoped would encourage people to rewrite
The Simpsons character
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon "that takes the character of Apu and in a clever way subverts him, pivots him, intelligently writes him out, or evolves him". He stated that, in the event that the show's producers will not take on the winning script, he would produce and distribute the episode as part of his "Bootleg Universe" fan films. A representative for the show at Fox responded, saying, "Apu appeared in the 10/14/18 episode "
My Way or the Highway to Heaven"." The character was absent from the show for two years, and on 17 Jan 2020, Hank Azaria announced he was stepping down from the role of Apu permanently. Shankar has stated that he was against the cancellation of the character: "Silencing Apu is a step sideways. It doesn't undo the damage, address the damage or benefit the show's 'creativity.' It just removes another brown face from TV." == Filmography ==