D Suresh, who has assisted National Award-winning director Balaji Sakthivel, is excited about starting work on his debut film. Titled 13, the film stars Manoj in the lead. Suresh says, “The film is a family drama, and revolves around a husband, wife and their two kids. We recently auditioned children and chose two girls to play the leads. The hunt for the female lead is also on simultaneously.”

He adds, “I wrote the script keeping Manoj in mind. I knew he would fit the role perfectly. After I was done with the scripting process, I narrated the story to Balaji sir and told him I was planning to approach Manoj. He was also happy with my choice. When Manoj listened to the script, he happily came on board. The film will mostly be shot in Chennai.”

Quiz him why he’s titled the film 13, and he justifies, “The number 13 is usually considered unlucky. But, the number proves to be lucky for Manoj and his family and certain incidents happen that relate to the number.”