The Raptors Superfan is a common household name in any NBA fan’s home in Canada, especially in the GTA. Some may have seen him with his turban sitting courtside at almost all Toronto Raptors home games since their debut in 1995.
Now he goes by “Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story” after the recent release of his own CBC Documentary. The film showcases his life from being Sikh and immigrating to Canada, to the hardships and racism he had to overcome. The film documents how the Raptors underdog story is the same as Nav’s.
“Just like any other immigrant, the Raptors struggled in the beginning,” Nav said in the film. “They weren’t given any chance to succeed so they worked very, very hard and that’s my story too. I’ve always been an underdog in my life.”
While the Superfan is a recognizable figure in Toronto sports and has been honoured by the Basketball Hall of Fame, to his daughter Tia Bhatia, he’s just a super dad.
“When they gave him the title in 1998 and I noticed everyone was giving him all this love, to me, he is just my loving adoring father he has been throughout his whole life,” Tia said.
She described the four documentary premieres in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto and Ottawa as a whirlwind. The premiere in Toronto was wonderful because it was her hometown, she said, but the experience in Ottawa was something else.
“Seeing every political leader come together sharing love for an immigrant story from every party… I said to my dad, it’s been such a whirlwind but you brought all these people together and that’s what it is about, diversity,” she said.
As the Superfan turns 70 this year, Tia said people think he looks like he’s in his 50s. She recalled him saying, “How does a 70-year-old man get this much attention?” She just encourages her father to have fun and love it.
“Sometimes mom, dad and I just sit there and think, ‘What the hell just happened, why is this happening?” Tia said.
Tia said her mom, Arvinder Bhatia, doesn’t even want her husband to retire. “If he’s home, he will eat both our heads off. He has to do some sort of work or else it will be really annoying because he just can’t sit still,” Arvinder said to Tia.
“Maybe it’s an immigrant family thing. They have that fight or flight motion. They’ve been working for so long, that it’s all they know and their conformability is work,” said Tia.
While Nav was working his way up at Hyundai and attending Raports games, Tia was also working hard in her father’s footsteps and her mother’s love.
When Tia was 5-years-old, she told her dad she wanted to be an actor. “I think my parents brushed it off because I was a little kid but I knew it was in me,” she said. By the age of 16, she told her parents she wanted to take theatre and acting very seriously. “They wanted to see how serious I actually was so they gave me a chance.”
While in university, she took acting classes in Toronto at Armstrong Acting school before travelling to New York and studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute for a year and a half.
“It was such a beautiful experience and unfortunately, because of university, I was unable to complete the program. It made me realize how much I want to immerse myself into acting,” she said.
After her father got into the Hall of Fame, he asked her, “What bigger than this?” and she responded with, “A movie deal.” Then in December 2021, it was announced that Kal Penn will be producing and starring in the “Nav Bhatia Biopic ‘Superfan’ From Stampede Ventures.”
“I think I manifested this. We got approached by John Burg, the producer of Justice League and Wonder Woman, and I am excited to see how Kal Penn plays my dad,” Tia said.
She recalled that Penn knew about her father while he was shooting a movie here in Toronto.
“Bringing the story to life through the honesty and heartbreak of what he went through, I have high expectations but am so happy and blessed. I can’t wait to see where the movie is going to go,” Tia said. “We always joke that he’s not as good-looking as my dad but his acting chops are way better.”
Tia’s own IMDb profile lists four films she has been a part of, but acting is not her only passion. Tia’s friend suggested she start a YouTube channel, and although she was hesitant as actors don’t often become YouTubers, she realized it was a good outlet. “I love entertaining, and with acting all you can do is wait for auditions. Now I have all the free time to upload videos I want to.”
Tia said her YouTube channel, which currently has 650 thousand subscribers, has connected her to so many different people around the world. Her adoption video alone has over three million views.
Nav and his wife adopted Tia from an orphanage in New Delhi, India in the early 2000s. “I think adoption is a beautiful thing and many conversations I have in the comments of that video I remind people the love will come back to you,” she said.
Tia understands some adoption households may not be the same as hers, especially due to South Asian culture. She said her parents were just her parents until she was about 16-years-old. While on a 14-hour flight to India, she said to her dad, “I’m grateful to be your daughter and all the opportunities you’ve given me, but you don’t even know me. Stop being my dad and become my best friend.”
She wanted to break that barrier to be able to share opinions and talk about her mental health with her parents without being scared. “Since that moment, there was a huge turn. We’re so close-knit now that I can go to them when I’m emotional or break down to have a conversation and get that support,” she said. “Mentally, it’s taught growing up with the guild to be mentally tough and not hurt their feelings but also to put your mental health first.”
Tia said her fondest memories with her parents are little things like her father chasing her around the house after stealing his pen.
“The happiness I gave them and the happiness they gave me is the purest thing to me,” she said.
“Seeing dad grow and seeing his story relate to so many people has been tremendous. At the end of the premiere, when I looked to my right everyone in the theatre stood up and started applauding my dad but then he started crying, and in that moment, I realized how much this means to him.”
Recently, Nav and Tia have gotten to work together on a project with The Bay and the Toronto Raptors called “A Capsule for Change,” a limited collection where 100 per cent of proceeds go towards an initiative to accelerate racial equality in Canada.