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They have always denied that their on-screen romance spilled over into real life.

But if Freida Pinto and Dev Patel really are just friends, as they claim, then they are very close ones.

The Slumdog Millionaire stars were spotted enjoying an intimate lunch together in Israel, where Miss Pinto is filming on location.

Sources said that Patel, 18, had flown all the way out there for just a quick visit with her.

An onlooker at the lunch said: ‘They looked very close. They sat side by side and looked into each other’s eyes. At one stage, Freida leaned in towards him and rested her head on his shoulder.’

The Indian actress, 24, is starring in filmmaker Julian Schnabel’s latest project Miral.

The pictures of her lunch with Patel add weight to comments made by their Slumdog co-star Anil Kapoor, who said earlier this year that the young couple had a ‘magical chemistry’.

Asked on a radio show if there was any romance going on while they were in India, he said: ‘As I matter of fact, when I meet them I feel there is something happening.’

‘She says I have to look after him and I have to babysit him and that kind of stuff, [but I think] this is the beginning of something exciting happening. They definitely make a great pair. Both of them look very good together.’

Friends and colleagues have said that the pair became closer as they toured the world promoting Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film.

Patel had previously starred in Channel 4 drama Skins, while Miss Pinto is a former model and presenter.

She has already hit the headlines for breaking up with her fiancé, public relations executive Rohan Antao, to concentrate on her career.

A spokesman for Patel declined to comment on his relationship with Miss Pinto.