The epic tale of an Indian boy from the slums with the gift of nearly superhuman athletic endurance. At 2, Budhia Singh is sold by his mother to a street hawker but then rescued by a larger-than-life sports coach who runs an orphanage for slum kids. When Budhia displays an uncommon talent for long-distance running, Biranchi nurtures his gift, heralding him as a folk hero for the impoverished masses. By age 4, Budhia has already completed a stunning 48 full marathons, but after the wonderkid collapses during his world record run, public opinion begins to turn on the guru and disciple, and soon the two are swept up in a maelstrom of controversy and political scandal. Following Budhia's roller-coaster journey over five years, Marathon Boy is a Dickensian tale of greed, corruption, and broken dreams set between the heart-racing world of marathon running, the poverty-stricken slums, and the political intrigue of a modernizing India. Nothing is what it seems in Budhia and Biranchi's riveting story, and Atwal continually shifts viewer identification to tell both a shocking story of opportunism and exploitation, but also a touching portrait of an authentic bond between a parent and child.