The government of Pakistan’s province Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has pronounced that they shall be purchasing the ancestral homes of Bollywood legends Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar.
The buildings were facing demolition threat, however, a Hindustan Times article clears up the fact that the government is keen on conserving the historical architectures.
An official stated, “The Department of Archaeology in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province has decided to allocate sufficient funds for purchasing the two buildings, which have been declared as the national heritage and lie in the heart of Peshawar city.”
Dr Abdus Samad Khan, who is the head of the archaeology department, also mentioned, “An official letter has been sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar to determine the cost of both the historic buildings, where the two greats of Indian cinema were born and raised in their early days before the partition.”
The great Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home, Kapoor Haveli, was built between 1918 and 1922 by ancestor Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor and is situated in Qissa Khwani Bazar. Raj Kapoor was also born in that very home, signifying its importance.
Whereas Dilip Kumar’s ancestral home, which passes on as over a 100-years-old, is also located in the area. The house is in shambles and was declared as national heritage in 2014 by the then Nawaz Sharif government.
Dr Abdus Samad Khan mentioned that the previous owners of the two structures had been wanting to demolish the homes and replace the area to be a commercial plaza. However, this motion was stopped by the archaeological department and was then made to be preserved.
Ali Qadar, the current owner of Kapoor Haveli, said that he did not want to demolish the building and made many contacts with the archaeology department officials to protect and preserve this historic structure which is a national pride.
The owner has demanded Rs 200 crore from the KP government to sell it out to the government. The Pak-government had also thought on the lines of converting the Kapoor Haveli into a museum and were to seek permission from a Kapoor descendant, the late Rishi Kapoor. Sadly, post the actor’s demise the plan could not come into effect.
Dilip Kumar’s wife, Saira Banu, reacted to the glorious news and seemed overjoyed.
She said, “I wish the provincial government success in its efforts and sincerely hope that this time the dream comes true. Mashallah. My heart fills up with joy each time I receive the same news about the ancestral home of Yousuf Saheb in Peshawar in North-West Frontier province which the provincial government has been repeatedly trying to turn into a monument for posterity. It has come up so many times in the past and I have appreciated the tenacity with which the government is pursuing the mission of turning the house into a museum for the public to visit and feel the vintage charm of the house where Dilip Saheb grew up like any bright boy of the province.”
She also recalled memories from her previous visit to the ancestral home years ago where the actor got emotional as he replayed his childhood memories.