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

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to buy and restore the houses of Bollywood legend actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.

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

According to the Director Achearlogy and Museums, Abdul Samad, the government has decided to buy the houses of Bollywood icons and in this regard, a letter has been sent to the deputy commissioner Peshawar.

The value of both houses would be determined after the imposition of section 4. The houses, in the first phase, would be restored to their original position and after reconstruction, they will be transformed as museums, Mr. Samad said.

“The move is part of efforts to restore Peshawar’s traditional culture.”

Read more: Raj Kapoor haveli demolition case: 4 suspects granted bail

Under the conservation plan, around 1,800 buildings in Peshawar over 100 years old will be acquired and restored by the provincial government.

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.