The hostilities between India and Pakistan on the border and the cricket pitch notwithstanding, Bollywood glamour boy Ranbir Kapoor and Lollywood hottie Mahira Khan are doing their bit to promote bilateral relations between the two cold neighbours.

Pictures of them having a smoke in New York City went viral last night. They were reportedly taken in July this year, when Ranbir was in the Big Apple on a shoot for his Sanjay Dutt biopic, and Mahira was there on a holiday and chilling. It is not known who posted them now and why.

The subtle chemistry between these two actors has already been a hot topic. Ranbir and Mahira met in Dubai at an event some time ago and a mute video of them in an animated conversation set the speculation afire. Now come these pictures of them sharing a smoke in NYC that takes imagination to another level. They are dressed casually, Mahira in a backless summer dress and Ranbir in a grey tee and dark green tracks, and give no indication of spending a night out on the town.

It was reportedly Shah Rukh Khan, who brought Mahira to Bollywood in January this year with Raees, and introduced the Pakistani beauty to Ranbir. They took an immediate liking to each other and stayed in touch after that. Ranbir, who was already out of his relationship with Katrina Kaif by then, coyly admitted in a media interview, “Mahira Khan of Pakistan is very pretty!”

It was their pairing in Dubai, when Ranbir and Mahira attended a Global Teacher event, which caused the media on both sides of the border to wonder where their relationship was going. Ranbir was single and making statements like, “This is the first time I am single and it’s amazing. You have a lot of time for yourself. I’m not meeting anybody. The only people you meet are the film industry people and eventually, the only people you start talking to are actresses." And Mahira was already divorced and the mother of a young boy named Azlan. That was enough for tongues to wag.

Friends of the Kapoor scion claim knowingly that the Ranbir-Mahira relationship is a work in progress. He is said to speak warmly and affectionately about her and has shown off pictures of the hot Pakistani actress on his phone. “This is building into something more than just a casual friendship,” a source told a daily. We are all in favour. But what about the prim Mama Kapoor and prickly Papa Kapoor? What do they have to say about Mahira Khan?