It won't be wrong to say that OTT was our only source of entertainment during those dull lockdown months. From romance to thriller and even horror and murder mystery, the digital platform served different flavours to viewers to satisfy their craving to watch something exciting. Now, in 2021, Netflix has taken the onus to keep presenting some delicious content. Today, the OTT giant announced its slate of this year and we can't wait to watch the magic unfold.
From films like Ajeeb Daastaans to Dhamaka, Haseen Dillruba and Sardar Ka Grandson, Netflix will bring to the audience a magical experience. On the other hand, web shows like Delhi Crime, Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives and Masaba Masaba are getting their second seasons. So sit back and lock your movie date with the platform:
FILMS (A-Z)
PICTURES ABHI BAAKI HAI MERE DOST!
Love, laughs, chills, thrills, spills, kills and broken dils. Presenting our menu for films in 2021.#AbMenuMeinSabNew pic.twitter.com/IZgLS6zoPv
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) March 3, 2021
Netflix, in 2021, will be bringing some exciting and diverse films of different genres. From thriller to romantic and even comedy, one will get to witness fun stories. Take a look at the films releasing this year:
Ajeeb Daastaans
Producer: Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, Dharmatic Entertainment
Director: Shashank Khaitan, Raj Mehta, Neeraj Ghaywan, Kayoze Irani
Writer: Shashank Khaitan, Sumit Saxena, Neeraj Ghaywan, Uzma Khan
Cast: Fatima Sana Shaikh, Jaideep Ahlawat, Armaan Ralhan, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Abhishek Banerjee, Inayat Verma, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Shefali Shah, Manav Kaul, Tota Roy Chowdhury
Ajeeb Daastaans is an anthology of four strangely contrasting stories which delves into fractured relationships and unexplored spaces. The stories set in varied milieus, explore jealousy, entitlement, prejudices and toxicity which are often entangled within the heart of their relationships. Each story also takes you on a journey where one would struggle with the moral dilemma of what’s right and what’s wrong, as the lines between them get blurred.
Bulbul Tarang
Producer: Reliance Entertainment
Director: Shree Narayan Singh
Writer: Arshad Sayeed
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Tahir Raj Bhasin
Set in Kannauj, this film is about a chirpy young girl called Bulbul who has one simple dream - she wants her groom, Rishi Kumar, to come in his baraat atop a horse. Soon enough Bulbul realizes that her innocent, harmless wish will meet resistance in their traditional village. But Bulbul is adamant to have her way and fight for what’s right.
Dhamaka
Producer: RSVP, Ram Madhvani Films, Ronnie Screwvala, Ram Madhvani, Amita Madhvani Director: Ram Madhvani
Writer: Ram Madhvani, Puneet Sharma
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Mrunal Thakur, Amruta Subhash, Vikas Kumar, Vishwajeet Pradhan
A frustrated ex-news anchor is given another chance to go live on prime-time television when a terrorist calls him with a bomb threat. Little does he know that this call will change his life and throw him into a fast-paced game of betrayal.
Haseen Dillruba
Producer: T-Series, Colour Yellow Productions, Aanand L Rai
Director: Vinil Mathew
Writer: Kanika Dhillon
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, Harshvardhan Rane
A woman whose heart longs to live like words captured in a novel, finds herself entangled in the murder of her own husband. Will she get lost in the chaos of her real-life-novel or find her innocence?
Jaadugar
Producer: Posham PA Pictures
Director: Sameer Saxena
Writer: Biswapati Sarkar
Cast: Jitendra Kumar, Arushi Sharma
Magic Meenu, a small-time magician in Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh has to win a local football tournament in order to marry the love of his life. There are just two things against him- the girl doesn’t love him back and his team hasn’t won a game in years! Friendships are tested and hearts are mended as love meets magic in this heartwarming sports comedy.
Jagame Thandhiram
Producer: YNOT Studios, Reliance Entertainment, S. Sashikanth, Chakravarthy Ramachandra Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Writer: Karthik Subbaraj
Cast: Dhanush, James Cosmo, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Kalaiyarasan, Joju George
The film tells the story of Suruli, a nomadic gangster who has to choose between good and evil in a war for what one can truly call home.
Meenakshi Sundareshwar
Producer: Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, Dharmatic Entertainment
Director: Vivek Soni
Writer: Vivek Soni, Aarsh Vora
Cast: Abhimanyu Dassani, Sanya Malhotra
A young couple Meenakshi and Sundareshwar, enter into an arranged marriage because their first names together make Madurai's famous temple 'Meenakshi - Sundareshwar'. However, when a job opportunity exclusively for single men pops up in Bengaluru, Sundareshwar has to leave his hometown and his wife Meenakshi, and pretend to be unmarried. The newlywed couple who barely know each other, struggle with the trials, tribulations, and insecurities of a long-distance relationship.
Milestone
Producer: Jabberwockee Talkies, Kimsi Singh
Director: Ivan Ayr
Writer: Ivan Ayr, Neel Mani Kant
Cast: Suvinder Vicky, Lakshvir Saran
The poignant film follows the story of a recently bereaved, middle-aged truck driver, Ghalib, who is coping with a personal tragedy and the consequences thereafter, while facing the existential threat of losing his job to a young recruit. The events in the story come together as Ghalib's truck touches the 500,000 kilometers mark - a record at his company.
Navarasa
Producer: Mani Ratnam, Jayendra Panchapakesan
Cast: Revathy, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Anjali, Aditi Balan, Remya Nambeesan, Poorna, Prayaga Martin, Rythvika Suriya, Vijay Sethupathy, Arvind Swamy, Siddarth, Prakashraj, Yogi Babu, Prasanna, Atharva, Bobby Simha, Gautham Menon, Ashok Selvan, Nedumudi Venu, Delhi Ganesh, Kishore
9 Films, 9 Emotions, 9 Notable Directors, 1 Noble Cause.
Pagglait
Producer: Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Guneet Monga, Achin Jain, Balaji Telefilms, Sikhya Entertainment Director: Umesh Bist
Writer: Umesh Bist
Cast: Sanya Malhotra, Sayani Gupta, Ashutosh Rana, Raghubir Yadav, Shrutii Sharma, Sheeba Chaddha, Sharib Hashmi, Aasif Khan, Rajesh Tailang, Meghna Malik
The film follows the story of recently widowed Sandhya struggling to mourn the death of her husband, as she sets out on the path of self-discovery, attempting to find her identity and purpose in life- all this while living amidst the quirky members of her joint family.
Penthouse
Producer: Sunir Khetarpal, Gaurav Bose
Director: Abbas Mustan
Writer: Girish Dhamija
Cast: Bobby Deol, Arjun Rampal, Sharman Joshi, Mouni Roy, Cyrus Broacha, Tisca Chopra, Abrar Zahoor
When architect Vikram Saxena proposes sharing a Penthouse with his five married friends, it seems like the perfect solution for their indulgences, until one morning, a body of an unknown woman is found in the Penthouse. Friendships tested, loyalties questioned and marriages crumble as the shocking truth unravels in this relentless whodunit.
Sardar Ka Grandson
Producer: Emmay Entertainment, John Abraham Entertainment, T-Series, Bhushan Kumar, Divya Khosla Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani, Nikkhil Advani, John Abraham
Director: Kaashvie Nair
Writer: Anuja Chauhan
Cast: Neena Gupta, Arjun Kapoor, Rakul Preet Singh, John Abraham, Aditi Rao Hyadari, Soni Razdan, Kanwaljeet Singh, Kumud Mishra, Divya Seth
A family entertainer that promises to strike a chord with its stellar cast and their emotions, Sardar Ka Grandson will premiere this summer on Netflix. Starring the iconic Neena Gupta and heartthrob Arjun Kapoor, along with Rakul Preet Singh, Aditi Rao Hydari, John Abraham, Soni Razdan, Kanwaljit Singh, Kumud Mishra and Divya Seth, the film showcases the journey of a US-return grandson who will go to any length to fulfill his grandmother’s last wish. Sardar, played by Neena Gupta, is a fun-loving matriarch of a large, warm family based in Punjab.
The Disciple
Producer: Zoo Entertainment, Vivek Gomber
Director: Chaitanya Tamhane
Writer: Chaitanya Tamhane
Cast: Aditya Modak, Dr. Arun Dravid
Sharad Nerulkar has devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru, and his father. But as the years go by, Sharad starts to wonder whether it’s really possible to achieve the excellence he’s striving for. A journey of devotion, passion, and searching for the absolute in contemporary Mumbai. The film is executive produced by Alfonso Cuaron and Rakesh Mehra.
SERIES (A-Z)
Drama series chahiye?
Comedy series chahiye?
Thriller? Suspense? Horror? Family?
Menu pe sab kuch hai!A look at the series we're bringing to your table in 2021!#AbMenuMeinSabNew pic.twitter.com/YJ3YEuFzjM
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) March 3, 2021
Not just films, Netflix has an interesting lineup of web shows too. From Madhuri Dixit's Finding Anamika to Delhi Crime season 2, we are sure, these shows will keep you hooked on to your screens.
Aranyak
Producer: Roy Kapur Films, Ramesh Sippy Entertainment
Showrunner: Rohan Sippy
Director: Vinay Waikul
Writer: Charudutt Acharya
Cast: Raveena Tandon, Parambrata Chatterjee, Ashutosh Rana, Zakir Hussain, Megna Malik
After a foreign teenage tourist disappears in the misty Himalayan town, a harried, local cop Kasturi must join hands with her city-bred replacement Angad, on a big-ticket case that digs up skeletons and revives a forgotten Himalayan myth of a bloodthirsty, serial killing entity in the forest.
Bombay Begums
Producer: Endemol Shine India, Endeavor Content, Chernin Entertainment
Showrunner: Alankrita Shrivastava
Director: Alankrita Shrivastava and Bornila Chatterjee
Writer: Alankrita Shrivastava, Bornila Chatterjee and Iti Agarwal
Cast: Pooja Bhatt, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash, Plabita Borthakur, Aadhya Anand, Rahul Bose, Danish Husain, Vivek Gomber and Imaad Shah
Five women across generations wrestle with desire, ethics, personal crises and vulnerabilities to own their ambition in contemporary urban India. As glass ceilings are shattered, and hearts are broken, difficult choices have to be made. And as each woman strives to find her own truth, they find in each other an unexpected understanding, and the sliver of a bond.
Decoupled
Producer: Bombay Fables, Andolan Films
Creator: Manu Joseph
Director: Hardik Mehta
Cast: R. Madhavan, Surveen Chawla
Arya Iyer is a man who suffers from chronic objectivity, extreme clarity and the debilitating capacity to see in any situation what others are trained to ignore. It gets him in trouble with people wherever he goes. Naturally, his marriage is over, but he has persuaded his estranged wife to continue living with him in a large villa in Gurgaon to create the myth of family for their tween daughter, who is terrified of their divorce.
Arya, as the second highest-selling pulp fiction writer in India, after his old foe Chetan Bhagat, is a celebrity who has everything a man wants — fame, money, a daughter who adores him, a home run by a woman and a hot young girlfriend. Yet, he is always somehow fleeing a crisis.
Mining from the banal realism of daily life, Decoupled is an uncompromising comedy about the true nature of people, India and marriage.
Delhi Crime S2
Producer: SK Global Entertainment, Golden Caravan
Showrunner: Tanuj Chopra
Director: Rajesh Mapuskar, Tanuj Chopra
Writer: Mayank Tewari, Shubhra Swarup, Vidit Tripathi, Sanyuktha Chawla (dialogues)
Cast: Shefali Shah, Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang, Adil Hussain, Anurag Arora, Yashaswini Dayama, Sidharth Bhardwaj, Gopal Dutt, Denzil Smith
Delhi Crime is a first-of-its-kind gripping true-crime series that delves into investigations undertaken by the Delhi Police. After solving the case that shook the nation, Vartika Chaturvedi and her team are up for a new challenge. Will Vartika and her team help the public fight their fear?
Feels Like Ishq
Producer: Mutant Films, Awesomeness TV
Director: Ruchir Arun, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, Ashima Chibber, Anand Tiwari, Danish Aslam, Jaydeep Sarkar, Sachin Kundalkar
Writer: Monisha Thyagarajan, Gazal Dhaliwal, Akanksha Tewari, Saurabh Swamy, Sulagna Chatterjee, Shubhra Chatterji, Jaydeep Sarkar, Arati Raval-Pandey, Sachin Kundalkar
Cast: Radhika Madan, Amol Parashar, Kajol Chugh, Mihir Ahuja, Kymsleen Kholie, Bhavesh Babani, Simran Jehani, Rohit Saraf, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Saba Azad, Tanya Maniktala, Skand Thakur, Zayn Marie Khan and Neeraj Madhav
Love on the run. On a guitar strum. At a protest. With a house guest. Cupid strikes in unexpected ways. Feels like Ishq is an anthology of seven warm and breezy stories about the kindling of young love.
Finding Anamika
Producer: Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, Dharmatic Entertainment
Showrunner: Sri Rao
Director: Karishma Kohli, Bejoy Nambiar
Writer: Sri Rao, Nisha Mehta
Cast: Madhuri Dixit Nene, Sanjay Kapoor, Manav Kaul, Lakshvir Saran, Suhasini Muley, Muskkaan Jaferi
This is a suspenseful family drama about a global superstar, wife, and mom who suddenly vanishes without a trace. As police and loved ones search for answers to her disappearance, her perfectly crafted facade is stripped away, revealing hidden truths and painful lies in the life of an iconic actress.
Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega S2
Producer: Viacom18 Studio’s Tipping Point
Director: Soumendra Padhi
Writer: Trishant Srivastava, Kanishka Singh Deo, Ashwin Varman
Cast: Sparsh Shrivastava, Monika Panwar, Anshumaan Pushkar, Amit Sial, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Aksha Pardasany
Sunny and Gudiya have one final chance to avenge their past. As bigger players enter Jamtara, politics tries to control phishing, but phishing ends up controlling politics.
Kota Factory S2
Producer: Arunabh Kumar
Creator: The Viral Fever
Showrunner: Raghav Subbu, Shreyansh Pandey
Director: Raghav Subbu
Writer: Saurabh Khanna, Abhishek Yadav, Puneet Batra, Manoj Kalwani
Cast: Mayur More, Jitendra Kumar, Alam Khan, Ahsaas Channa, Urvi Singh, Ranjan Raj, Revathi Pillai
Kota Factory, the first black and white web series of India, revolves around Kota – its students, its people and its coaching industry. The show depicts this universe through the eyes of Vaibhav, a vulnerable teenager, and Jeetu Bhaiya, a modern-day Dronacharya. The show captures the melancholic life of Indian students who prepare for competitive exams. In this season, will Vaibhav move onto greener pastures, leaving behind Jeetu Bhaiya, his friends and his love interest?
Little Things S4
Producer: Dice Media
Showrunner: Ashwin Suresh
Director: Ruchir Arun and Pranjal Dua
Writer: Abhinandan Sridhar, Nupur Pai, Garima Pura Patiyaalvi, Gaurav Patki
Cast: Dhruv Sehgal and Mithila Palkar
It's season 4 of Little Things and six years of Dhruv and Kavya's togetherness. If seasons one to three were a trilogy that dived deep into the facets of young love, season four explores a new maturing love and the growing pains and adventures that come with it.
Mai
Producer: Clean Slate Films - Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma
Showrunner: Atul Mongia
Director: Anshai Lal, Atul Mongia
Writer: Atul Mongia, Amita Vyas, Tamal Kumar Sen
Cast: Sakshi Tanwar, Wamiqa Gabbi, Vivek Mushran, Prashant Narayanan, Raima Dev Varma, Seema Pahwa
Following a personal tragedy, Sheel, a docile, 47-year-old wife-and-mother, finds herself accidentally entangled in a web of white-collar crime and dirty politics pushing her into a rabbit hole of violence that forever changes her and the world she inhabits.
Masaba Masaba S2
Producer: Viniyard Films
Creator: Ashvini Yardi
Director: Sonam Nair
Writer: Sonam Nair, Nandini Gupta, Punya Arora, Anisha Raisurana
Cast: Masaba Gupta, Neena Gupta, Neil Bhoopalam
Glamour ke peeche kya hai? It’s a tough world, but Masaba and Neena Gupta are tougher. The mess is over, and this time the plan is world domination. Masaba goes in front of the camera, and Neena ji decides to go behind them. All the while dealing with new loves, old loves, and some impossible loves. Both women take their careers, image, friendships and lovers, in their own hands and turn everything around.
Mismatched S2
Producer: RSVP Movies
Showrunner: Akarsh Khurana
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Writer: Gazal Dhaliwal, Aarsh Vora, Nandini Gupta, Akshay Jhunjhunwala, Sunayana Kumari Cast: Prajakta Koli, Rohit Saraf, Vihaan Samat, Taaruk Raina, Devyani Shorey, Muskkaan Jaferi, Rannvijay Singha, Vidya Malavade
Dimple, the genius coder, has lost her app. Rishi, the hopeless romantic, has lost all faith in love. Fate brings this “Mismatched” couple face to face again, as Rishi is forced to step back into the mess he left behind. With their futures at stake, Dimple and Rishi must navigate the rough terrains of frayed friendships, new love interests, broken promises, academic stress and shocking rivalries.
Ray
Producer: Viacom 18’s Tipping Point
Director: Srijit Mukherji, Vasan Bala, Abhishek Chaubey
Writer: Niren Bhatt, Siraj Ahmed
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao, Kay Kay Menon, Ali Fazal, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Radhika Madan, Shweta Basu Prasad, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma, Bidita Bag, Kharaj Mukherjee, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Shruthy Menon, Anindita Bose, Neeraj Purohit, Lovleen Misra, Raghubir Yadav, Manoj Pahwa
A revolutionary filmmaker, an auteur, and the creator of the Feluda series, Satyajit Ray is also remembered for writing some of the best short stories India has ever seen. Vastly varying in genre and style, these stories are full of thrills, twists and turns, and a strong emotional core keeping you completely hooked till the end. For the first time ever we present four such passionately curated stories under Ray.
She S2
Producer: Viacom 18 Studio’s Tipping Point
Showrunner: Imtiaz Ali
Director: Arif Ali
Writer: Imtiaz Ali, Divya Johri
Cast: Aaditi Pohankar, Vishwas Kini, Kishore Kumar G, Shivani Rangole, Suhita Tatte
After swearing her allegiance to drug-lord Nayak, Bhumi must walk the dangerous line between siding with the police or with crime, while simultaneously exploring her newfound sexual liberation, as Nayak’s larger plan unfolds.
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein
Producer: Edgestorm Pictures
Showrunner/ Director: Sidharth Sengupta
Writers: Sidharth Sengupta, Anahata Menon, Varun Badola
Cast: Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shweta Tripathi, Anchal Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Surya Sharma, Brijendra Kala, Arunoday Singh, Anant Joshi, Sunita Rajwar, Hetal Gada
Think of the most dreaded villain! What if he has a daughter who truly, deeply, madly falls in love with you? What if you don't love her back? What if you are in love with someone else? How will you say no and get out of the situation? After all, quite like her father, she's not likely to take 'no' for an answer. A romantic simpleton finds himself in the middle of this crossfire in Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, a dark comical pulpy desi thriller about three things that matter the most in the country- paisa, taqat aur pyaar!!!
COMEDY
Comedy Specials
Comedy Premium League
Kapil Sharma
More Specials By:
Sumukhi Suresh
Aakash Gupta
Rahul Dua
Prashasti Singh
Laughathon on Netflix with our catalog of exciting standup specials and unique comedy formats. Stay tuned for more details.
Documentaries (A-Z)
Crime Stories: India Detectives (Docu-Series)
Producer: Claire Cahill, Tarun Saldanha
Director: Jack Warrender, N Amit
With unprecedented access to the Bengaluru City Police, this gripping series follows major criminal investigations from the moment the crime is reported through to the capture of the suspects. From murder to kidnap to extortion, each film tracks a shocking and compelling case in the heart of India's Silicon Valley. Filmed with senior officers at home and at work, this is a unique window into the lives of Bengaluru’s police officers as they attempt to detect the most complex and serious crimes in the city.
House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths (Docu-Series)
Producer: Yamini Pictures, Leena Yadav, Aseem Bajaj, Yogendra Mogre
Showrunner: Leena Yadav
Director: Leena Yadav, Anubhav Chopra
House of Secrets explores the intricate, complex and sometimes hidden workings of a traditional Indian family. The three part docu-series takes an exploratory look at a case that shook up the whole nation - the infamous Burari case, where 11 members of a ‘happy’ family, spanning three generations, were found dead inside their house in Delhi.
Indian Predator (Docu-Series)
Producer: VICE Media, India Today
Director: Ayesha Sood, Umesh Kulkarni, Ashwin Shetty, Dheeraj Jindal
Indian Predator is a thrilling and suspenseful docu-series, that attempts to decode the minds of some of India's deadliest killers. The series uncovers the never-before-heard details of gruesome killings as individuals who were at the epicenter of these crimes talk about what went down.
Searching for Sheela (Docu-Film)
Producer: Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, Dharmatic Entertainment, Jouska Films
Showrunner: Shakun Batra
Cast: Sheela Birnstiel
Osho’s controversial and sassy ex-secretary, Ma Anand Sheela returns to India after 34 years of exile. Sheela, having re-shot to fame since the mega reception to the Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country, is now parceling her life to the world. Searching for Sheela is an intimate look into her journey across India, observing the rebranding of her as a pop-culture icon, with audiences unable to decide if they deem her a "criminal" or remain in awe of her badass secretary days.
Reality Series (A-Z)
We're putting the asli in ASLI SWAAD AB AAYEGA!
Here's a taste of the reality shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy specials we are serving you in 2021.#AbMenuMeinSabNew pic.twitter.com/i38dIQISKv
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) March 3, 2021
Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives S2
Producer: Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, Dharmatic Entertainment
Director: Ritika Bajaj, Uttam Domale, Naomi Datta
Cast: Neelam Kothari Soni, Maheep Kapoor, Seema Khan, Bhavana Pandey
The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives was one of the binge blockbusters of 2020. Love them or hate them - nobody could be indifferent to our queens of sass, spice, and all things nice. Ok, maybe not always so nice! But you know what is twice as nice as #TheFabulousLives Season 1? SEASON 2. Yes, it is the twist everyone saw coming. The Bollywood Wives will be back - with an all access card to a world that everyone obsesses over. Sass, snark, sisterhood - the seatbelts are off, the claws are out and the masks (metaphorical only) are coming off-- it's no holds barred. And wait, could they have some cool new company too?
P.S.: Let the memes begin.
Social Currency
Producer: SOL Production
Showrunner: Chad Greulach
Cast: Sakshi Chopra, Rowhi Rai
Eight popular social media influencers whose "influence" is put to test in the real world without their super power - their blue tick verified, and highly followed accounts! In a battle for survival and influence - who will be the most 'liked' on and off the phone screens?
The Big Day Collection S2
Producer: Conde Nast India
Showrunner: Anita Horam
Directors: Ashish Sawhny, Aakriti Mehta, Raonak Hathiramani, Faraz Arif Ansari
Writer: Nikita Deshpande
Beautiful clothes, lavish parties, incredible locations. This series presents behind-the-scenes views of six Indian weddings, showcasing the work that goes into the spectacle and highlighting the personal struggles and triumphs of those taking the plunge.