According to Deadline, Kal Penn, star of the Harold & Kumar film series, is set to star in and produce a film about Toronto Raptors superfan, Nav Bhatia. The movie will tell Bhatia’s story of moving to Canada and establishing himself as a successful car salesman, dealership owner, and Raptors fan.
In an interview with Deadline, Bhatia told reporters he is “speechless. To have the opportunity to continue to tell my story with such esteemed producers is a dream. Then to find out Kal Penn has been brought on to play me is even more surreal.” Penn also expressed his excitement of playing Bhatia saying, “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.”
Bhatia has attended every Raptors home game since the franchise was created in 1995. In 2019, the team honored him by gifting him a championship ring and letting him lead the parade. He was also the first fan inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last year. On top of being a superfan, Bhatia helps underprivileged kids across the country attend Raptor games and organizes a Baisakhi halftime show every April on the Raptor court to give Canadians the opportunity to celebrate the Sikh New Year together.
CBS is also releasing a documentary of Bhatia’s story titled Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story that will span Bhatia’s journey of an educated but broke Sikh immigrant to becoming the Raptors superfan and one of Canada’s most well-renowned car dealership owners.
