DL D ‰‹‰ † ‰ CMK
THE TIMES OF INDIA
Monday,
September 15, 2003
Catch her if you
can: Beyonce is
an artful dodger!
Now, Trinidad
is mad about
Koi Mil Gaya!
Page 5
Page 6
Man sues neighbour over noisy sex
OF INDIA
MANOJ KESHARWANI
A Romanian man named
Aristotel F is suing his neighbour because “she makes too much noise during
sex.” Aristotel lives in a studio in Focsani beneath
the woman’s apartment and complains that he is
woken every night by squealing
and laughter.
‘‘She does whatever she wishes
in her house, but
she can’t put me
PINs and needles:
Enter ATM hacking
Times News Network
C
TOP GUN! Delhi Times captures the fun funda of Bollywood’s ‘bad’ man Gulshan Grover as the multi-faceted actor shows what
it takes to call the shots in moviedom, at the Grand (To send this photograph to a friend, log on to www.timescity.com/delhi/)
VINOD NAIR
Times News Network
W
hen he’s not abducting
kids, he’s shooting down the good guys! When he’s
not eyeing women, he’s extorting money! Now, he’s ready
to go to the US to become an
assassin! Worse still, he gets a
real kick out of what he does
and proudly announces ‘I’m a
bad man’! Gulshan Grover is
one man you wouldn’t want
to mess around with... but only on-screen, that is.
Off-screen, Gulshan is affable, polished, great fun to be
Not a bad man to know!
with, and one man who wouldn’t even harm a fly! So, what kind of person is the real
Gulshan? ‘‘Ah, that’s something which I shouldn’t be talking about,’’ he laughs, ‘‘I am
the usual guy — the type one
sees on the street, at office or
in a restaurant. I work hard
to earn my living and I am glad that things have turned
out right for me!’’
But wouldn’t he rather be
the hero rather than the bad-
X-TRAA HOT BYTES
For more spice on Gulshan
Grover, tune in to Bumper
2 Bumper on Radio Mirchi
98.3 FM between 7 pm
and 8 pm today
die in films? ‘‘Not at all,’’ comes the reply, ‘‘In fact, it is
more difficult to essay the
part of the bad guy than play
the hero. And this is probably why heroes are playing
bad guys nowadays.’’
Talking of nowadays, Gulshan is currently in Delhi to
shoot for American Daylights, a movie produced by Bobby and Puja Bedi and directed by Roger Christian. ‘‘In
the film, I make an appearan-
ce as a hired assassin called
Billu. Coming up for release
are Kaizad Gustad’s Boom, in
which I play Medium Miyan,
and Pooja Bhatt’s Paap.’’
In an industry where actors normally feel insecure without several films under the
belt, this man prefers to be choosy. ‘‘I believe in doing things slowly and steadily. Why
hurry? I have reached where
I have by being true to my work.’’ For Gulshan Grover, life
is best lived by doing a good
job — and that’s not a ‘bad’ idea at all!
vinodnair@indiatimes.com
‘WARNING’ worldwide, ‘warning’ in India
JYOTI SHARMA
Times News Network
Y
ou are being warned. Smoking
kills. Smoking causes a slow,
painful death. Smoking when
pregnant harms your babies. Smoking
is a heartbreaker. Smoking causes impotence. Smoking harms your children. Smoking causes lung cancer.
These hard-hitting warnings on cigarette packets worldwide are staring in
the face of smokers across the globe.
Such prominent warnings are mandatory in Canada, Brazil, the UK, Poland,
Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Portugal
Japan and Thailand, among other countries. It happens worldwide. Only, it
doesn’t happen in India.
In India, cigarettes reach the costumer with a timid ‘cigarette smoking is
injurious to health’ warning, which accounts for a bare 10 per cent of the packet size and is hidden away low down
on the cover in a size that even vigilant
eyes strain to spot. ‘‘In the face of proactive measures against smoking worldwide, nothing less than ‘you are taking in slow poison’ should be written
boldly on cigarette packets in India. It
is the government’s responsibility to
warn people. The warning on cigarette
packets should be bigger in size than
the brand name,’’ says Indian Medical
Association secretary Sanjiv Malik.
At a time, when smoking has been identified by the WHO as the single-largest preventable cause of death worldwide, bold warnings and stark images
reflect the adverse effects of smoking.
Canada introduced such measures on
cigarette packets in December 2000,
with photographic warnings, including
those of patients suffering from lung
cancer, bleeding gums, mouth disease,
congested blood vessels and damaged
brains. All this, in addition to written
warnings including ‘Don’t poison us’
Though countries across the globe make it mandatory for
cigarette packets to prominently display hard-hitting warnings
about the deadly effects of smoking, India ignores the world order
FAG END—II
and ‘Tobacco smoke
hurts babies’. A survey
conducted in Canada a year after the
new stipulations shows that smokers
accepted the role of warnings in in-
creasing the motivation
to quit. Also, the bold
warnings proved to be a deterrent to
teenagers from taking up smoking.
According to the WHO, 50 per cent of
youngsters who start smoking will die
of tobacco-related diseases.
The European Union parliament has
directed member countries to carry graphic warnings on cigarette packets.
Billed as the world’s toughest anti-smoking law, the EU legislation prohibits
cigarette manufacturers from using the
terms ‘mild’ and ‘low tar’ because they
falsely imply lower toxicity. Besides, all cigarette packages sold in the EU must
carry health warnings covering atleast
30 per cent of the front of the packet and 40
per cent of the back.
Side by side, Asian
countries including
Japan and Thailand
make it mandatory for
manufacturers to mention the nicotine
and tar levels in cigarettes.
Delhi health minister AK Walia maintains that there is no reason why India should not conform to the world order. ‘‘If countries abroad are concerned about the health of their citizens,
why shouldn’t we? Carrying bold and
clear warnings on cigarette packets lessens the prevalence of smoking.’’ The
Centre insists that efforts are being made in this direction. Says Sudhir Gupta,
chief medical officer, Directorate General of Health Services, ‘‘We are working on the nuances of the legislation.
The warnings might be made more specific and their size increased. Also, tar
and nicotine levels in cigarettes will
need to be specified and certain public
places will be made smoke- free zones.’’
As a country on the brink of a tobacco epidemic, India can ill afford to disregard the deadly fire burning those who
smoke. Smoking kills — and that is
warning enough.
riminal intent meets technology. A small rectangular plastic card and a few punches on electronic touch-pads
are all it takes... and then, cash
just keeps flowing out. The world of crime has just found a
new way of downloading a fast
buck — ATM hacking. Any-time money (ATM) is now being
hacked any time, anywhere.
In a recent incident, GS Bhatnagar, a south Delhi resident,
realised that Rs 10,000 had been
siphoned from his account with SBI even though he had never made the transaction. ‘‘I asked the authorities to check the
closed-circuit cameras at the
ATM facility. It was found that
a couple had withdrawn this
amount in two instalments.
But the bank refused to pay back the amount. Now, I have filed a case against the bank.’’
Bhatnagar’s is not an isolated case. When Deepak Prem
Manwani, an MBA graduate in
Chennai, hacked into a ATM
machine in June 2002 using a
counterfeit card and mopped
More and more tech-savvy
desi crooks are taking
swipes at ATM machines
FORGE GORGE
HOW IT WORKS
● Counterfeit ATM cards,with
magnetic strips, are sold by
websites/smuggled into India
● PINs are sold by websites/disclosed by unscrupulous
bank staff and ATM vendors
● ‘Decoders’ are used to design the bar codes
● ‘Readers’ are used to copy
data from the original card
● A fake ATM card is ready
GOOF-UPS
● Users
forget the ATM card
in the machine after the code
has already been entered
and verified
● Card-users leave clues to
personal details on websites
after online transactions
VAISHALI
BANERJEE
to be at this juncture?
Platinum jewellery is not just beautiful to look at, it is also beautiful to weCountry Manager,
Platinum Guild India ar. The metal is 35 times rarer than gold and is available at 95 per cent purity.
On the future
Its density and weight adds to its endof platinum
jewellery in India uring value. As suggested by the brandline, PGI’s emphasis is to ensure that
the pure, rare and eternal qualities of
platinum are brought forth more vividly to consumers. These words not onbrandline deeply rooted in the metal’s ly reflect the intrinsic values of platintrue values and a logo which reflects um, but also the status, individuality
its contemporary image. Alongside th- and style of the wearer. We seek to assis, we are introducing new colours for ure consumers of the metal’s purity.
platinum white and blue.
So, the emphasis is on quality.
Where would you want your focus Absolutely. Every piece of platinum je-
up lakhs in cash, India woke up
to its first case of this hi-tech
crime. ‘‘An increasing number
of ATM-hacking cases are coming to light. Not too long back, there was a case involving
Citibank. The involvement of
bank employees is usually a factor in cases of this nature,’’
says DCP (economic offences
wing) Dinesh Bhatt.
Meanwhile, banks maintain
that their security systems are
fool-proof. ‘‘We have very tight
measures to guard against hacking of ATM machines. In any
case, card-users are advised to
take utmost care of their cards
and PINs (personal identification numbers). The facility to
change PINs frequently is critical to ensure that the integrity
of the system is maintained,’’
says IDBI regional head Prashant Singh.
At the end of the day, the best way to guard against an account being hacked is to PIN one’s hopes on the safety-first theory. For, if you leave that piece
of plastic out of your sight,
ATM hacking is on the cards.
delhitimes@indiatimes.com
DON T SING ME A SONG!
In Bollywood, there is an increasing tendency to make movies minus songs
NIKITA DOVAL
Times News Network
Bhoot
A
lways on song — that’s
Bollywood. But following
the success of the ‘songless’
Bhoot, ditties are not necessarily mandatory for films.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
and Devdas are packed with
melody, is making a ‘songless’
Black. Add to this ‘songless’ list, Mehul Kumar’s Jaago,
Ram Gopal Verma’s Ek Hasina Thi and Ab Tak Chappan.
Also in the fray are films such
as Samay: When Time Strikes,
Boom and Gangaajal, which
come with just a song or two.
‘‘Today, songs are included
in films only if the screenplay
demands so,’’ says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. Says producer Tutu Sharma, whose Alwyn
FILMI NUMBER
Gangaajal
sharma.jyoti@indiatimes.com
‘Platinum is being recognised for its exclusivity’
How would you
account for the
changing perception towards
platinum?
The subtle sophistication of platinum is being recognised for its
exclusivity and
soft accent. It is heartening to see the
platinum trend catching the fancy of
the discerning Indian jewellery-buyer.
How do you plan to take this trend
forward?
Platinum Guild India (PGI) is giving
platinum a new global identity with a
under stress. She says: Sue
me and make a fool of yourself.’’
Aristotel recorded his
neighbour’s performance
to prove his case to a judge.
‘‘The cassette might not be considered evidence, but
he wants it. I hope it won’t be played in the court
room.’’ If it is, a
certain lady might find herself on
unsound ground.
wellery sold is stamped with the ‘Pt’
symbol and the purity is supported by
a tamper-proof quality assurance card
which states the content of platinum
in the jewellery. We also have Underwriters Laboratories to audit and monitor the quality of this rare metal.
How would you define platinum’s
future in the jewellery market?
The platinum appeal in cities goes well
beyond the metros. Since PGI’s launch
in 2000, we have grown from 12 outlets
to almost 150 —an average of one retailer per week. Platinum is currently
present in 32 cities and the metal, most
certainly, is here to stay.
PALLAVI BORAH
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CMYK
Kalicharan has a low song count, ‘‘Certain films need to be
fast-paced. Songs break the continuity of a film.’’
But experimentation is not
the only reason behind the disinterest in songs. ‘‘Till a few
years ago, music rights for films were sold for Rs 7 to 8 crore. Now, music companies are
no longer ready to shell out that much money,’’ informs producer Vashu Bhagnani.
However, the absence of songs does not mean box-office
success. After Bhoot, three ‘songless’ films —Darna Mana
Hai, Hawa and Teen Deewarein —haven’t done well. ‘‘A film
in its entirety should appeal to
the viewer,’’ says Adarsh. If
music be the food of Bollywood’s business, a few jarring
notes might be in store.
nikita.doval@indiatimes.com