With Sundance over, some of us are looking ahead to the next big fest. That’s right, SXSW. One of the films premiering there, “Flying on One Engine” is an amazing documentary about a wheelchair bound, larynx-less doctor, diagnosed with a life-threatening aortic aneurysm: Dr. Sharadkumar Dicksheet. He now lives only (and barely) so he can travel to India to perform free operations in marathon-like surgery sessions where up to 700 children receive treatment for their cleft lips and other deformities. The film’s maker Joshua Weinstein shares some of his experience with ADB.

How did you find Dr. Dicksheet?

Dr. Dicksheet was my father’s attending resident while my dad was in medical school. In the mid 90’s my father made his first trip to India with Dr. Dicksheet to perform free operations. Since then my dad has gone on a number of humanitarian surgery trips.

Was there anything in particular that drew you to his story?

Dr. Dicksheet is a larger than life character, bound to a wheelchair, larnx-less, his heart only works at 18%, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 8 times, and he is hysterical too!
Originally my first trip to India was to make a promotional video for Dr. Dicksheet’s organization, but after my first second of turning the camera on, I knew I was in for the long haul! I began the film in January ‘06 and finished it in January ‘08. It is hard to believe that two years have passed.

This man has done tens of thousands of surgeries, how does that affect what he (and you) think of his work?

He says “the operation theater is my temple.” The surgeries are his devotional prayers to God that literally keep him alive. The amazing thing is that Dr. Dicksheet should be dead right now. Most people do not survive a partially paralyzing car accident, larynx cancer, and 2 life-threatening heart attacks. When he is home in NYC he looks like a pathetic old man –he can barely walk across the room without losing his breath. But the second he arrives in India he finds the strength to perform over 70 operations in a day.

This story seems to be filled with a sense of struggle against the body. What are your thoughts on that and have they changed since making this?

The film is about the struggle to overcome the body’s limitations. As Dicksheet explains about his own condition, ” my heart is a four engine jet plane flying on one engine, and if that engine fails I go down.” His body is weak, but his mind is strong and he’s an inspiration to anyone to stop making excuses for themselves and really go after their dreams. Dr. Dicksheet used to be a skier, a professional singer, a dancer, and a real ladies man. Now he’s a mess, but he has found the one thing that he can still enjoy and that is surgery.

What was the most powerful experience you had in making this documentary?

I cried and laughed way too much making this film. Dicksheet is an eccentric man and it takes a long time to warm up to him, to understand when he is joking and when he is being serious. But the memories that made me cry most recently were in September ‘07. This was the last week of filming and Dr. Dicksheet was extremely ill. His Daughter would confide to me that he had been collapsing frequently and going to the emergency room because of a problem with his blood pressure. Dicksheet is such a stoic hero that you would never hear him complain, he just sat their waiting to get back to work in India.
During these last days with him he would talk frequently about his ideas on life and death. He was not afraid because he thought “death was like going to sleep.” I know that he needed rest. but sure enough at the end of the week he went to India and has been feeling well since.

What was your goal in making this film and is there anything in particular that you want people to take away from it?

My goal was to make a film that could make all of us laugh and cry and leave feeling like we had experienced a great story together. This film has so many layers that I can’t wait for everyone to watch it!

The film still needs funding for post production and marketing, so ideas and help are welcome. Check out some more info at the film’s website or facebook group and check out the trailer here.