After Dhoom 2 and the absolutely aesthetic kiss with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Hrithik will be seen doing a number of lip-locks with Barbara Mori in his next release, the much-anticipated Kites.

When asked about it Hrithik is amused. "Why are we even talking about kissing? Is that such a big deal? Hasn't our cinema grown up? Yes, there're kissing scenes in the film. But nothing to make me squirm. In fact I'd be more than happy and completely comfortable watching those kissing scenes with my wife, son and parents when the film is released."

Rationalizing the need to look at lip-locking in Bollywood rationally Hrithik argues, "Kites is a love story. It’s about people in love. And what do people in love do to express their mutual feelings? In fact it was Barbara Mori who made me realize how silly we look on screen while shying away from expressing love naturally." This happened while Hrithik and Barbara were shooting a tough and dangerous action sequence in Santa Fe.

"We were both supposed to jump off from a rooftop at an impossible height. Before we did so our director Anurag Basu suggested I kiss Barbara since we were doing something dead defying and dangerous and potentially lethal. I reached out and kissed her on the cheeks. Barbara turned around to ask why I had kissed her on the cheek. 'Given the same situation with your real-life wife Sussanne would you kiss her on the cheek?' I was floored by her logic."

The take was repeated. "And this time I kissed her the way real-life couples would in the situation. On the lips," says Hrithik with matter-of-fact directness.

Rakesh Roshan is taking his Kites to the Cannes Film Festival this year. As a part of the Cannes itenary, Hrithik and Barbara will be walking the red carpet on the day rushes of the film are showcased. A source reveals, “Kites features on the list of movies to be showcased at Cannes, and will be shown to international buyers on May 16. Kites has been tagged under the genre of romantic thriller, and tags a running time of 135 minutes. There are also plans to have a press conference with the local press. Since this is Hrithik’s first time to Cannes, he wants to make the most of his trip. The trip will also be a huge deal for Barbara, who has jumped into the big league after being a Mexican TV actress.”

However, the source adds that the whole trip has been planned in a way that there is no focus on the Hrithik-Barbara alleged affair. “As of today, Hrithik and Barbara will be walking the red carpet together. But they will be put up in separate hotels. While Hrithik will be staying with his dad and Suzanne at the Martinez Hotel, Barbara will be put up in a separate hotel with her brother Kintaro.”