The Pakistan Government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provence is setting up a legal process rolling to buy the ancestral houses of 2 Indian film legendary actors and friends, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, in Peshawar.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has enacted a necessary section of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 of the state, which authorizes the Provence Government to take possession of both the houses (Havelis) on an emergency basis.
An amount will be soon released to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Peshawar for payment to the landowners of both properties.
Dilip Kumar’s Haveli is of 4 marla (101 Square Meters) and its price has been fixed at Rs 80.56 lakh is equal to about US$ 50,517.
Raj Kapoor’s Haveli is of 6 marla (151.75 square meters) and its price has been fixed at Rs 1.50 crore is equal to about US$ 94,061.
Both the houses have been priced by the Archaeological Department of Pakistan.
The owners of both the Havelis were not willing to sell them because the government was not willing to pay the market prices. According to them he prime location properties have been severely undervalued.
The owner of Dilip Kumar’s Haveli demanded Rs 25 crore for the property. The owner of Raj Kapoor’s Haveli demanded Rs 200 crore.
According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government, the owners of both the properties were demanding exorbitantly higher prices as well as blackmailing the authorities due to the historical importance of these properties.
The legendary actor Raj Kapoor’s ancestral Haveli (Kapoor Haveli) is located at fabled Qissa Khwani Bazar. This Haveli was built by Raj Kapoor’s father and actor Prithvi Raj Kapoor between 1981 and 1922.
Prithviraj Kapoor was a pioneer of the Indian film and theatre world. Kapoor family has continued to entertain global audiences through cinema.
Prithvi Raj Kapoor uses to stay in this Haveli and this is the place where his son the legendary actor Raj Kapoor was born. Raj Kapoor became India’s youngest and most successful actor-director.
Yusuf Khan, popularly known as Dilip Kumar was born to Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Ayesha Begum and their house located in Peshawar’s Khudadad area.
This Haveli is a 5-minute walk away from Prithviraj Kapoor’s house. As per Dilip Kumar, he belongs to a family of fruit merchants and they moved to Bombay (Mumbai) for medical treatment of his elder brother Ayub Khan under the surgeon Dr. V. L. Parmar because he got injured in a horse-riding accident.
Due to family business and traveling hobby Yusuf went to Nainital where he met Devika Rani, the owner of the movie production house Bombay Talkies, and master director Amiya Chakraborty. They say this handsome young man and the rest is history.
Both the great actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were both seen together first and last time in the movie Andaaz in 1949.
Last year when it was announced the Dilip Kumar’s house will be turned into a museum, his wife actress Saira Banu thanked The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government on tweeter.
Saira 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 Yusuf Saheb in Peshawar in northwest Frontier province which the provincial government has been repeatedly trying to turn into a monument for posterity.”
Shah Rukh Khan, the present-day superstar also known as the King of Bollywood also has links to this area but his family home which is still in use has not suffered the same decline.
According to Shah Rukh’s cousin Maqsood Ahmad Shah Rukh’s father, Taj Mohammad Khan, and his brother Ghulam Mohammad Gama both were staunch supporters of Congress.
After India’s Partition Taj Mohammad left Pakistan to escape arrest but his brother Gama was imprisoned for 7 years.
The city of Peshawar suffered a huge blow to its culture and violence is promoted by terror group 1980’s onwards which brought an end to its golden culture.
Militant groups like the Taliban and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan have destroyed its culture and forcefully close all cinema halls, cultural theatres, and clubs as well as music shops.
Although the situation in Peshawar is improving the shadow of militancy is still there.
Bollywood films are banned in Pakistan but people of Peshawar still love Hindi movies as Peshawar has delivered Bollywood’s 3 Iconic superstars!
