12B (2001)

On the morning of a job interview, Shakthi runs for the 12B bus. In one version of his day he catches it; in the other he misses it. The film follows both lives side by side: in one he is drawn to the woman played by Jyothika, in the other to Simran's character, and small accidents of timing send each path in a different direction. 12B was the first film directed by Jeeva, already a well-known cinematographer, and the debut of Shaam as a leading man. Its two-timeline structure was inspired by the British film Sliding Doors, an unusual experiment for mainstream Tamil cinema in 2001. Harris Jayaraj, fresh from Minnale, composed the songs, and Sunil Shetty appears in a supporting role, which is why the Hindi version, Do Raaste, is promoted around him.