by Subhash K Jha

It's no co-incidence that Madhavan's first screen kiss is for his mentor Mani Rathnam's Guru.

The surprise is that it should have been with an actress who has a very propah image...Vidya Balan!

Even more surprisingly, Mani Rathnam for whom Maddy broke his no-kissing code of conduct has given his protégé the briefest role of his career.

Laughs Maddy, "That's okay..I did it with my eyes open...I mean the film, not the kiss," laughs Maddy from Toronto where Guru was premiered at the posh Elgin theatre. "The response here has been overwhelming," he enthuses.

And Maddy? "Well, even my wife Sarita thinks I've a small role. But what the heck! I did it for my mentor. As for the kiss, I did exactly what was in the script."

Hadn't he promised his wife he's never kiss any of his heroines on screen? "Well...that's okay. She saw the kiss and liked it. You can't say no to Mani. And frankly I didn't want to. There're some things one has to do."

Was he uncomfortable doing it? "Well I'm not a seasoned screen kisser. But I'm an actor. I'm supposed to do what I'm asked to."

One thing is for sure. The Guru kiss will be Maddy's first and last screen smooch.

Years ago, a kiss in Umesh Mehra's Guru between Mithun Chakraborty and Sridevi had created a furore.

This time there's no hornet's nest to stir up.