/> "We've eloped together....to Goa," jokes the cerebral Nandita Das.

Reacting to a story about her growing fondness for co-star and like-minded colleague Rahul Bose, Nandita says, "We're similar in many ways. And we've done films together including our latest Keral and Bits 'N' Pieces. But such talk only makes me self-conscious.

Next time I hit his hand, slap his back or crack a joke I'll be terribly self-conscious. You never know what media persons would make of it."

But is it just a media mischief happening here? Over to Rahul Bose from whose cellphone Nandita had the above conversation with me.

"You know, this isn't going to help our cause much. But I've to tell you, when I reached the Mumbai airport to get to Goa recently, guess who joined me in the same flight? Nandita! Now if I tell you it wasn't planned would you believe me?

Fortunately or unfortunately this is nothing but a lot of smoke without fire. I'm not going to bore you by saying we're just good friends. We're a lot more than that.

We're two extremely like-minded people and you can see that in our career choices and in the various causes and charitable organizations we're associated with. We've done three films together and we do have a lot of common ground to share. But a romance seems pretty distant right now."

As the two talk and share laughs together it's easy to see that a great friendship has grown between them. "But we're like two buddies, bonding beyond any conventional relationship," says Rahul.

But then both are in the their 30s. She has a broken marriage behind her. And he hasn't had a relationship in years.