Suicide cases to live-in relationship: TV celebs reveal woes of finding a house in Mumbai

Getting a house on rent is not easy for young aspirants who come to Mumbai – the city of dreams, to try their luck in the showbiz. The bachelor tag comes at a price, so does being from the film and TV industry. In addition, societies are not open to actors who are in a live-in relationship. BT spoke to artistes from the TV frat, who have had to struggle to find a good house, in a locality of their choice. (By: Tanvi Trivedi)

Currently residing in Versova, Anjum, who hails from Ratnagiri, has been living in Mumbai since her childhood. However, her parents did not support the idea of her becoming a model/actor and she decided to leave her home. Since then, for the last 10 years, the actress admits that she has been living out of suitcases. She says, “My profession was the biggest issue for most landlords. Being single and having no support from parents was another challenge I faced in finding a house. I had left my house way back in 2010-11. People felt that it would not be right to rent out a place to an actor, who is also single. I expect people to be liberal in their thoughts, but we fail to accept change or growth.”

Rehaan Roy, who is currently seen in 'Guddan Tumse Na Ho Payega', relocated from Kolkata to Mumbai in 2016 and started living in Borivali with a friend. In 2017, he rented a place in Andheri, but faced unnecessary issues because people keep looking at him with suspicion. He says, “The landlord felt that my being an actor would create nuisance because it would mean girls visiting late nights. For six months, I did not get a house and continued staying at my cousin’s place. Whenever I tried to rent a flat, they’d give examples of crimes like the Maria Susairaj case (the starlet was accused of murdering TV executive Neeraj Grover in 2008) and Pratyusha Banerjee’s suicide in 2016. They have said no to hosting friends overnight, and having a girlfriend is also considered a crime.”

Sanjay Gagnani, who is seen in Kundali Bhagya, feels that Indian society is never open to bachelors, live-in relationships and pets. Sanjay relocated to Mumbai in 2010 and stayed in Bandra for two years. He then moved to Andheri (in 2011-15 ) and Goregaon (in 2016-2019). Currently, he’s back to living in an apartment in Lokhandwala (Andheri). He says, “Most housing societies refrain from allowing bachelors in their premises. It took me a while to find a society that allowed a bachelor. When I got engaged to Poonam and started living-in, I had to hide her when the landlady visited the house as she was against unmarried couple living-in. Finally, we had to move out. While moving in to another accommodation, the broker wanted us to lie about our marital status. We somehow managed to live there peacefully for three years because they thought we were married. Problems cropped up when we got two pets. The housing society opposed us and we had to leave. It took us a good four months and almost 80 houses to find a housing society that matched our criteria, allows pets and a couple in a live-in relationship.

'Gathbandhan' actress Priyanka Choudhary relocated from Jaipur to Mumbai in 2014, and has been living in Lokhandwala (Andheri). The actress feels there are no regulations or rules when it comes to renting out flats in Mumbai. She says, “If you are single, it apparently means you are loud and will get friends over to chill. If that is not enough, the distrust towards our profession is apparent; they do not trust us to maintain decorum. Shouldn’t the concern be about us not paying rent on time? What if a corporate professional creates issues? One common rule for everyone should be maintained, regardless of their marital status or profession.”

Currently seen in 'Kundali Bhagya', actor Abhishek Kapur came to Mumbai from Delhi, five years ago. Initially, he stayed with his cousins, but later decided to rent a place. Sharing his experience, the Versova resident says, “I have been looking for a new, plush apartment in Mumbai for a couple of months now. But as an actor, it’s getting tough to get a good flat in a decent society. I have come to realise in the past couple of months that even if the landlord is fine with renting out his/her flat to actors, the society isn’t. Deals break down sooner or later. They point out to our lifestyle that they believe is undisciplined, but don’t non-actors also party and work late hours? Even the price they quote to an actor is quite different from what they charge a regular office-goer.”

Puneet Sachdev relocated to Mumbai from Gwalior in 2005. In the initial days, he faced a problem finding a house because he was a bachelor-actor. Later, when he wanted to live-in with his actress girlfriend Pariva Pranati, who is his wife now, people refused to rent him an apartment. He says, “When you say you are an actor and single, society members look at you with suspicious eyes. Things have improved in the last four-five years, though. When Pariva and I used to meet members of various housing societies, they would be shocked that we were living-in and were looking for a house. Their first reaction would be ‘no’. I found it silly. After all, what is the guarantee that a married couple or a family renting a house will not create a nuisance for you?'

Vineet Raina came from Jammu in 2005 and it’s not been easy for him since then. He shares, “It seems to be a big crime to be an actor, who is single. Over the past few years, I have had a tough time searching a flat, from the suburbs of Andheri to Kandivali. Finally, I had to call my mom to Mumbai in 2010 to rent a flat in a decent locality. My mom came down from Jammu and stayed with me for a few months. My dad had just been through a surgery at that time and would have done better with my mom being around, but unfortunately, she had to stay with me in Mumbai to help me find accommodation without any hitch.”