'Kissing is an art - and follows some rules'

Over its 100 years of existence, Indian cinema has thrown up various lip-lock scenes - from Devika Rani to Rani Mukerji; from Himanshu Rai to serial kisser Emraan Hashmi, and now the small screen is not far behind either. But looking at making your own experience special? Here's how!

Kissing is an art and experts say you must follow some rules. Firstly, lovers should be careful about hygiene, says Shikha Giri, consultant prosthodontist and implantologist.

"Brushing your teeth is very important. One should do it after dinner and after breakfast. In the morning, you should just massage your gums with your fingers and should brush your teeth after breakfast, this will control germ buildup," Giri told IANS.

If reports are to be believed, Hollywood actress Julia Roberts' fetish for peanut butter sandwiches left her with bad breath, making it difficult to shoot love scenes with co-star Clive Owen in "Duplicity". So, she used to freshen up before filming the intimate scenes.

For those aware of their bad breath, dental expert Rachana Doshi suggests the use of a mouthwash as it gives "a fresh breath every time you use it and also causes less germ buildup".

It could be a French kiss or a woodpecker kiss; so another important tip is to ensure your lips aren't dry. Moisten them.

Of course, hygiene goes a long way in enhancing the lip-locking experience, but it goes much beyond that, feels Harsh Mahajan, a student, as his romantic moment went awry because his girlfriend was not ready for it.

"Me and my girl had just started dating and to have some private time, we went to Manali. It started raining, we were a little wet and I thought it would be romantic to have our first kiss there. When I tried to lean over to kiss her, she chickened out as she was not prepared," Mahajan explained to IANS without any self-consciousness.

What can lovers do to avoid a kissing fiasco?

Don't bite your partner's lips, says Faraaz Kazi, author of romantic novel "Truly Madly Deeply", and, to relish the moment, avoid keeping your eyes open.

"Don't lose the nose contact. Don't force yourself on your partner and don't get to the crux of the moment immediately," he said on kissing techniques.

After getting the basics right, lovers can make it better by forgetting apprehensions.

"I believe that the company matters, the place doesn't. So the company can make any place better," said Kazi.

And then, just follow your heart - or maybe your screen idol!

"Just follow your heart and go with the flow. By going with the flow, I mean just close your eyes, tilt your head and you will be there," added Kazi.

So when everything is in place, just close your eyes and feel the moment!

(Aditi Chandra can be contacted at aditi.c@ians.in)