Filmmaker Raj Purohit is struggling to get a place to stay apparently because of his filmi connection

Filmmaker Raj Purohit is one harrowed man. For some time now, he has been looking to rent a place in the city but hasn't been able to find one.

`I have been looking for a house for the past one and a half months. I have been to several housing societies from Versova to Lokhandwala, but in every place, I am asked if I have a marriage certificate. When I tell flat owners that I am single and I work in the film industry, they decide against renting their place to me.''

The filmmaker says that he even showed some flat owners his resume in order to familiarise them with his body of work. `But that has not worked for me. I must given at least 16 interviews; some brokers even asked me to lie about my marital status or tell the owner that my parents will live with me. I don't want to lie to anyone.`

Rohit Gangwani, a realty consultant from Lokhandwala, says that single men from the film industry are often looked down upon. `The moment you say you are single and working in the film industry, housing societies refuse to give an NOC.

They ask for a marriage certificate and they want the person to bring his / her spouse along for an interview before the NOC is granted. They can be lenient if you are married and have a child, but if you are single, then they will insist on extensive paperwork. Recent cases of crime (read: Neeraj Grover murder case), where film industry professionals have been arrested, only made flat owners more wary,` he says.