Busan Premiere Indian Documentary ‘A Fly on the Wall’ Examines Assisted Dying and Friendship, Trailer Released (EXCLUSIVE)

Nilesh Maniyar and Shonali Bose-directed Indian documentary “A Fly on the Wall” is set to make its world premiere in the Wide Angle Documentary competition at the Busan International Film Festival. A trailer has been released.

The film follows the final days of Chika Kapadia, who chose to end her life via physician-assisted suicide at Dignitas in Switzerland and had four months to live. Tasked with documenting Kapadia’s countdown to death, the filmmakers capture both her journey and their own emotional reactions.

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This is Maniyar and Bose’s third feature film collaboration after “The Sky Is Pink” and “Margarita with a Straw”, which were presented in Busan.

Bose explains the origins of the project: “This film was not a choice, it was a dying wish that we brought to life. Chika, my friend of 25 years, approached Nilesh and me with a very personal mission: to capture how peaceful physician-assisted suicide can be, and to hopefully reduce the fear and anxiety around it. She was willing to go public with something as intimate as her death because she believed it was so important to start that conversation. In those tumultuous two weeks leading up to her death in Zurich, I was just coping and following Nilesh’s lead when it came to the film.”

Maniyar adds, “My first reaction was how could someone commit assisted suicide and not have the greed for that extra moment of breathing that they could possibly have. But I could see how confident Chika was that she would not be tethered to tubes and wires in her final moment. What started as Chika’s personal quest turned into a shared mission for the three of us – Chika, Shonali and me. And that brought up a question about the fact that a filmmaker is also a friend. So when I asked Shonali to turn the camera on herself, I knew why but I didn’t know how it would play out.”

The directors aim to start conversations about end-of-life choices and dignity in death. “I hope the film encourages viewers to think deeply about the right to die with dignity,” says Maniyar. “He believed that this option should be available, affordable and accessible to everyone, not just the privileged few who can travel to places like Switzerland. We want the film to start conversations that will help destigmatize assisted suicide and confront the ethical and human rights implications of denying people control over their end-of-life choices.”

Bose emphasises the film’s larger message: “Ultimately, for me it’s also about removing the fear around death and seeing it as a part of life – something peaceful and dignified. We want viewers to think about these issues and consider the humanity behind them.”

You can watch the trailer here:

The Busan International Film Festival will take place from October 2-11.

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