The Samikhsya Bureau
New Delhi: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government has decided the price of the ancestral houses of Bollywood legends Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. The government has already resolved to buy the houses to preserve as national heritage.
While Kapoor Haveli would cost US Dollars 93,529 (Rs 1,50,00,000), Dilip Kumar’s haveli is priced at USD 50,259 (Rs 80,56,000).
The houses were declared as national heritage in 2014 by the then Nawaz Sharif government. In September this year, the provincial government decided to purchase the ancestral houses of the two actors, where they were born, to conserve the historic buildings.
The two buildings are in dilapidated condition and were facing demolition threat.
Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home was built between 1918 and 1922 by his grandfather Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor. Raj Kapoor and his uncle Trilok Kapoor were born in the building. The building is known as Kapoor Haveli and is situated in the fabled Qissa Khwani Bazar.
Similarly, the haveli where Dilip Kumar was born is over 100 years old and is located in the same locality.
The owner of Kapoor Haveli, Ali Qadar had reportedly demanded Rs 200 crore from the provincial government to sell it to the government.
The havelis would be converted as heritage museums and would be thrown open to the public to highlight the rich history of the historic Peshawar city and the contribution of the two actors to Bollywood.
