No more are the times when celeb couples ducked to avoid being seen together in public. The love steered clear of each other in public.It may be recalled that famous account of how Rekha ducked into a book shop at the airport when she heard that Amitabh Bachchan was a few steps behind her. Likewise, Sunny Deol and Dimple Kapadia avoided the other in the open at all points of time. Their relationship is still talked about in whispers 28 long years later.

"Today, things are just the opposite,'' says an industry observer. Young actors who may or may not admit to be in a relationship - but who the media continues to link - have no qualms about displaying their fondness for one another, even in full public glare.''

Of the younger lot, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have refrained from commenting on their relationship status. Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor, too, have followed the same rule. Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, who went as a couple on Karan Johar's talk show, neither acknowledge nor deny their love to the paparazzi. Bipasha Basu and Harman Baweja holiday together and host parties too. However, they refuse to qualify their close bond.


That having been said, Ranveer didn't hesitate to kiss Deepika on her neck in full view of the flashbulbs at an awards night. Aditya playfully pulled Shraddha close when he spotted her at the studio before they went into their individual make-up vanities to get ready for their television show. And the picture shows the warmth they share. An onlooker present said, "Shraddha had just flown in from Goa. Quite obviously, Aditya who had been in Mumbai and who had not seen her for a few days must have missed her. Their body language clearly conveyed this.'' Harman and Bipasha have been photographed vacationing in Goa, displaying quite a bit of warmth. And Arjun and Alia apparently displayed PDA on a flight, when travelling back from a shoot.

When asked about changing attitudes, one of the actresses mentioned here, says, "Why the fuss? It's most natural to greet a good friend with a hug or even a brush on the lips.'' Frankly, we agree.

The iconic Mahesh Bhatt, who has always been liberated in thought and in action, says, "Attitudes toward sex have changed slowly over time. Young people are increasingly more fluid in their sexuality. They have rebelled against socially constructed expectations of the bygone days.