Marathon Boy

Synopsis

At three, Budhia Singh had already run six 13-mile half-marathons. Born into the slums of Bhubaneswar in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, Singh’s mother sold him to a peddler for 800 rupees. Not long after Biranchi Das, a judo teacher who also runs an orphanage, bought him back, and soon discovers Budhia’s talent for running. But when Biranchi has the four year old Budhia run 42 miles, the debate begins: is he providing Budhia with a rare opportunity, or is he exploiting a boy too young to know what he really wants. When the government gets involved the case becomes a political football, and rumors of vast sums of money attract gangsters eager to drive a wedge between Biranchi and Budhia.

Director Biography

Marathon Boy is Gemma’s first feature documentary. She made this film for her birth mother, whom she has never met, living somewhere in poverty in India.