Being an A-lister in Bollywood can't get one past religious profiling and discrimination in Mumbai's Beverly Hills. On-screen serial kisser Emran Hashmi has just learned this.

Out to buy an apartment in an area close to where his parents live, the actor was politely told by Pali Hill's Nibbana Cooperative Society to go and look elsewhere. The actor believes the housing society is discriminating against him because he is a Muslim. He has filed a complaint with the State Minorities' Commission, demanding action against society members.

"My parents went to meet society members last week (for the NoC) along with the seller and the broker. Society members, however, told them they were busy and refused to meet them. I found it really offensive," said Hashmi.

"The seller, Suvarna, has now informed us that the society will not give us an NOC and it has blocked the sale. We have information that this has been done as they are discriminating against Muslims and will not allow any Muslim in the society." The society had mostly Hindus and a couple of Catholic families, Hashmi said.

Actor Anil Dhawan is another member of the society's managing committee. "I will be more than happy to have him as a neighbour. But I remember his family barging into our office when a society meeting was going on and so we refused to meet them. Being a celeb does not mean you get everything," he said.

Hashmi's family has been living in Pali Hill for the last 50 years. "All the big names of Bollywood live in the area. Dilip Kumar, Nargis and Aamir Khan live here. So do the Dutts (Sanjay and his kin). But we still face such problems," he regretted.

Vinod Bachchan, a broker from Juhu, said he knew of such instances in Juhu -- where superstar Amitabh Bachchan has lived for decades -- as well. "A big star living in Bandra wanted to buy a bungalow in Juhu but we found it difficult to get one for him as he was a Muslim," he said.