London Dreams: Like Moulin Rouge?

Ajay Devgan has almost become Raj Kumar Santoshi's resident hero.

After the versatile filmmaker completes his political drama Saamna with Ajay in the lead, he goes on to the grand musical London Dreams in the middle of next year. The latter is unlike any film Santoshi has ever made. Moving away from the gut-wrenching action of his trademark films (Ghayal, Lajja), London Dreams moves to London to delineate the life and times and music of Asian underground music.

It is the story of the rise and fall of an Indi-rock band, and A R Rahman has already been roped in to create the global sounds of this unorthodox Bollywood musical.

The real surprise in the project will be the return of Salman Khan to Santoshi's cinema. Some years ago, the two had teamed up for the uproarious comedy Andaz Apna Apna. Now, Salman, who is currently on a signing spree (he has lately said yes to Nikhil Advani and Samir Karnik, among others) will return to Santoshi with the director's favourite leading man Ajay Devgan as part of the cast.

London Dreams could possibly be Santoshi's most expensive film to date. It will try and replicate -- in terms of the Indo-British musical experience -- the flamboyance of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge.

Says the director, "I wouldn't like to say much about it at the moment, but yes, Ajay Devgan and Salman Khan have been signed. And Rahman will do the music."