'Ishq Par Zor Nahin' fame Shagun Sharma on struggles to find an apartment as a single woman

It is definitely no secret where he we have witnessed how over the years, actors find it extremely difficult to find accommodation in the city of Mumbai while they have come here to have their dreams come true. This becomes all the more difficult for single female actors owing to the array of prejudices and assumptions that come with female actors who are single and are living alone.

That is the kind of similar instance that actor Shagun Sharma aka Sonu from Ishq Par Zor Nahin faced where she had to find an apartment on rent. Talking about the ordeal in an interview with ETimes TV, Sharma said, “I have been living in Mumbai for almost seven years now, but finding flats has always been an ordeal because of my entertainment industry background. Most of the housing societies follow this rule of not renting out flats to single people, particularly those who want to live alone. And since I work in the entertainment industry, it only aggravates the problem. I was shooting outdoors and after coming back to Mumbai, I was in search of a flat. Almost 2-3 deals were finalised but in the end, it was called off. I really don’t understand why these housing societies do not allow single people just because it is assumed that they will cause nuisance and chaos.”

She added, “I think one of the main reasons behind this is that the youth these days believe in social networking with friends/colleagues from the opposite gender, and they often have house parties. Our society still frowns upon the concept of male-female friendships. The plight of a single person wanting to rent a flat in a metropolitan city like Mumbai is not a piece of cake. I have faced this discrimination on several occasions while hunting for a flat.” Talking about the popular perception about actors, she says, “People from the entertainment industry are always believed to be undisciplined. Such perceptions and opinions of people these days have been a matter of concern for people in showbiz. The housing society members think that the popularity and contacts of the actors can invade their privacy and be a threat to the society.”

She concluded by saying, “I request the government to make a rule where the housing societies and flat owners can’t deny renting flats to single people just because of their entertainment industry background. We are educated people and we know the difference between right and wrong. As a society, the least we can do is to be liberal in our thoughts and everything will be fine.”