KP govt releases funds to purchase ancestral houses of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday approved the release of Rs 20.4 million to purchase the ancestral houses of legendary Bollywood actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor situated in the Khudadad Mohallah of Qissa Khwani Bazaar.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan formally approved the proposal, allowing the authorities concerned to purchase the ancestral houses at a rate determined by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Communication and Works Department (C&W).

Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar Muhammad Ali Asghar has fixed the price of Dilip Kumar’s four marla (101 square metre) house for Rs8 million while that of Raj Kapoor’s six marla house (151.75 square metre) for Rs10.5 million.

The family houses of Bollywood legends Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar in Peshawar will be turned into museums.

Read More: KP govt to buy, restore houses of Bollywood actors Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor

The move was made by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, the Peshawar district administration, and the provincial archaeology department after the owners decided to demolish the historical buildings.

Both actors were born and raised in Peshawar’s famous Qissa Khwani area before they moved on to Mumbai to become acting greats.

Read More: KP govt to turn Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor’s houses into museums

The Kapoor haveli was built between 1918 and 1922 by Raj Kapoor’s grandfather, Deewan Basheswarnath.

Meanwhile, Dilip Kumar’s house was built by his father who was a fruit merchant. Kumar was born in Peshawar as Mohammed Yusuf Khan on 11 December 1922. According to Mr Waheedullah, Kumar’s father suffered substantial business losses in the mid-1920s, forcing the family to move to Bombay in search of better opportunities.