12B(2001)
12B is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama film written, cinematographed and directed by Jeeva in his directorial debut. The film stars Shaam in his acting debut alongside Simran and Jyothika in lead roles, with Suniel Shetty and Moon Moon Sen in supporting roles. The story follows Shakthi, a young man whose life splits into two parallel timelines based on whether he catches or misses a bus to a job interview. The film introduced the dual narrative format to Tamil cinema and was an unofficial remake of the 1998 film Sliding Doors. It received mixed reviews from critics who praised the concept but found the narrative confusing. The soundtrack by Harris Jayaraj became popular, especially the song "Oru Punnagai Poove". The film was released on 28 September 2001 and performed average at the box office.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Prime Video, Airtel Xstream Play, YouTube
- Theatrical Release
- 28 September 2001
- Director
- Jeeva
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 2h 30m
- Rating
- 5.4/10
Storyline
Shakthi is a young man on his way to a job interview. He sees a woman named Jo and gets distracted, causing him to miss his bus. The film then shows two versions of his life — one where he catches the bus and becomes a successful bank manager, and another where he misses it and becomes a mechanic. In both timelines, he tries to win Jo's love, but only one path leads to happiness.
“One bus. Two lives. One love.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for 12B
Cast reunions in this film: Vivek & Harris Jayaraj (9 films together), Vivek & Jyothika (9 films together), Vivek & Simran (8 films together), Harris Jayaraj & Jyothika (4 films together), Vivek & Shaam (3 films together), and Srinath & Jeeva (3 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title '12 B' refers to the bus route number that the protagonist misses, which becomes the pivotal moment altering his life's path.
- Director Jeeva, known for his cinematography, also served as the director of photography for this film, giving it a distinct visual style.
- Actress Jyotika, who plays the female lead, was reportedly cast partly because of her rising popularity after successful films like 'Dumm Dumm Dumm' the previous year.
- The movie's parallel narrative structure, showing two different outcomes from one event, was considered innovative for mainstream Tamil cinema at the time.
- A portion of the film was shot in Malaysia, which was an uncommon foreign location for Tamil films in the early 2000s.
- The soundtrack by Harris Jayaraj became popular, with the song 'Enakkena Yaarum Illaye' remaining a notable romantic track from that era.
- This was one of the earlier films for actor Shaam, who played the lead, helping establish him as a romantic hero in Tamil cinema.