Posted December 3, 2021 at 3:52 pm
Mississauga’s Nav Bhatia, also known as “Superfan”, is the subject of both a CBC documentary being screened tonight and a Hollywood movie still in the works.
Most people would say that they had almost “arrived” and made a name for themselves when they became widely known simply by their nickname.
Or, conversely, if they were to have a one-hour prime time documentary about their life on the air on CBC.
Not enough? Well, that’s probably irritating: in a separate movie, it was just announced on social media that Hollywood actor Cal Penn will play the lead role in a biographical film entitled Superfan, which will tell the story of longtime Mississauga resident and successful businessman Nav Bhatia.
Bhatia, long known in many circles simply as “Superfan” for his immortal love of the NBA Toronto Raptors, lived in the Malton area of Mississauga for many years after first arriving in Canada with his family from India in 1984.
“Malton is very special to me,” Batia, 70, said earlier this fall. Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation unveiled an impressive outdoor basketball facility in this part of town.
And one of his biggest loves, the Raptors, has been special to Batia since their NBA debut season in 1995. He has not lost a single home game that the Toronto club has played for nearly 26 years, with the image of being behind the net. from the constants for the Raptors and their fans for more than two decades.
As a token of gratitude to their top fan, the Raptors gave Batia a championship ring from the season they won the NBA title two years ago.
Well, first of all. The CBC will be broadcast tonight at 9 p.m. Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story, a 60-minute documentary that chronicles his life since he set foot on Canadian soil.
Bhatia and his family fled India after a military operation targeting Sikhs in the country.
He said his first years here were somewhat worrying, as he initially had trouble finding work and was a target of racism. But he continued to become a successful car salesman and later a dealership owner.
Meanwhile, in a separate creative work, the biographical film of Stampede Ventures Superfan presents Penn in a dual role as protagonist and producer.
Penn, who starred in Harold & Coumar movie franchise as well as a recent TV show Defined Survivor, told Hollywood-based Deadline.com that he has been watching Bhatia’s story since he first saw him at a Raptors game in Toronto where the action TV series was filmed.
“The crowd loves him. “Seeing how much pride there is for Canadians – and all basketball fans, really – makes me smile.”
Bhatia, the first fan to enter the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, told Deadline.com that telling his story in such a way, “with such honorable producers”, is a dream.
“Then it’s even more surreal to know that Cal Penn is supposed to play me,” he added.
His shooting Superfan has not started yet.
The Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money to build basketball courts and camps for children in Canada and around the world.
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