The yesteryears of Bollywood, as most would agree, produced gems that mesmerised us and gave us evergreen movies. Amongst the many stars, few stand out for creating history. Legendary actors like Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor shine bright. The Pakistan government, to maintain their ancestral homes of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor purchased the buildings and preserved them as a national heritage in Pakistan. The ancestral homes have been converted into museums aimed at restoring Peshawar’s links with Bollywood.
Pakistan To Purchase Ancestral Homes Of Dilip Kumar & Raj Kapoor
The Department of Archaeology in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan decided to allocate sufficient funds to purchase two buildings, which have been declared as the national heritage. This two buildings served as the ancestral homes for veteran actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor. Pakistan wishes to conserve the historic buildings which are in dilapidated condition and facing demolition threat. Dr Abdus Samad Khan, the head of the Archaeology department said that they sent an official letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar. They did this 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.
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Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home, known as Kapoor Haveli, is situated in the Qissa Khwani Bazar. The actor’s grandfather, Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor built this haveli between 1918 and 1922. Veteran actor Dilip Kumar’s 100-year-old ancestral house is also located in the same locality. Mr Khan said the owners of the two buildings made many attempts in the past to demolish them for constructing commercial plazas because of their prime location. But the Archaeology Department stopped all these moves. They wanted to preserve them keeping in view their historic importance.
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Pakistan Shall Preserve Their Ancestral Homes As National Heritage
However, the owner of Kapoor Haveli, Ali Qadar, said that he did not want to demolish the building. He made many contacts with the archaeology department officials to protect and preserve this historic structure which is national pride. Pakistan will convert these two prestigious buildings into museums. In 2018, the Pakistan government decided to convert the Kapoor Haveli into a museum. They heeded a request by the late Rishi Kapoor. However, the announcement to this effect could not be materialised despite a lapse of around two years. If you’re a Bollywood fan, then watch this video for travel inspirations.