Subhash K Jha/IANS

Mumbai, Aug 25: Ajay Devgan as a rock star strumming away the heated strings on stage is a hard act to swallow. Not for Vipul Shah who has modelled the Bollywood star's act on the Irish singer Bono in his forthcoming movie "London Dreams".

"So far we've only seen him in a sedate or comic image, never as someone who can cross the frontiers and do something outrageous," Shah, who hasn't quite converted the actor in an outrageously punky rock star, told IANS.

"No, not quite the reckless renegade. I've modelled Ajay's rock act on Bono, the Irish lead singer from U2. Bono was never your quintessential rock star. He had a more sober and a less wild image. When Ajay gets on stage in 'London Dreams', he replicates the curbed tempered-down rock-star's image of U2. Yes, I modelled him on Bono."

The gritty sweaty ambience, the riveting guitar licks, the angst-filled vocals and the screaming hysterical fans... Ajay goes through the rock motions in the film with elan.

Interestingly, Salman Khan has no particular image in "London Dreams". "He plays a more improvisational musician whereas Ajay plays a more professional rock musician," said Shah.

The director has already shot all the on-stage performances except one. "I wanted to see how the other stage performances look before shooting the last one. I was afraid they'd all look the same. But they've all come out differently. And Ajay looks like a rock star in the truest sense of the word."