Superfan, a biopic on Nav Bhatia, an Indian origin-Canadian businessman and superfan of the Toronto Raptors basketball team will be produced by American actor Kal Penn. Penn will also play Bhatia in the film, according to a report by Deadline.
The biopic will narrate the story of Bhatia who has been a follower of the Toronto Raptors Basketball team for decades. In 2021, he was officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in their new superfan gallery.
The report stated that the project’s rights have been bagged by Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman and Jon Berg. They will co-produce the Superfan biopic along with Penn and Dan Spilo of Industry Entertainment. Rinku Ghei of Yellow Mango Films will serve as the executive producer. The producers are currently in search of a writer and director for the project.
Speaking about the biopic, Penn said that he had been following Nav’s incredible story ever since he met him at the Raptor’s game. “The crowd loves him – to see what a source of pride he is for Canadians – and all basketball fans, really – makes me smile. His story is one of unity, which I’m especially excited and proud to bring to life,” he added.
Recommended
Bhatia who has never missed a Raptors home game shared his joy to collaborate with the producers and Penn to tell his story and noted that Penn’s love for basketball is an added bonus. He moved from India to Toronto in 1984. In 2018, he founded the Superfan Foundation in a bid to bring diverse people in Canada and around the world together through sport. That apart, he is also a well-established car salesman and dealership owner in Canada. He became the first to receive an official NBA championship ring after the Toronto Raptors won the game of the season 2018-2019 and he also led the team’s championship parade in 2019.
Bhatia provides opportunities for underprivileged children across the country to attend Raptors games. The report also noted that Canada Broadcasting Corporation will release a separate documentary called Superfan this month. Penn has featured in series such as Sunnyside, The Big Bang Theory, Battle Creek and 24, along with films like Superman Returns and Van Wilder.