Dilip Kumar-Raj Kapoor Homes in Peshawar to be Museums
Provincial Minister said it took a long time to purchase the houses but the government did not step back
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has formally approved to convert ancestral houses of Bollywood stars Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in the heart of Peshawar into museums.
The estimated cost to confiscate both national heritage sites was estimated at Rs 20.35 million which has been paid by the KP government.
Both ancestral houses of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Peshawar are now the property of the provincial government.
Dilip Kumar was born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan in this house at Mohalla Khudabad in the Qissa Khwani Bazar of Peshawar on December 11, 1922.
The house of Dilip Kumar has turned into ruins. Therefore, its purchasing cost settled at Rs 8 million which is less compared to Rs 15 million released for Kapoor Haveli.
Meanwhile, the ancestral houses located in the heart of Peshawar are visited by the fans of the Bollywood stars.
KP government would convert both houses into museums after restoring them to antiquity.
As a recreation for visitors, the KP government will screen movies of both veteran actors.
Both houses will be rehabilitated such that they would contain information about the lives of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.
Raj Kapoor is known for laying the foundation of modern Bollywood in India and has long wanted to visit his hometown in Peshawar.
The government officials said that actors like Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar were famous worldwide.
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They added that the measure would promote cultural tourism while it could also bring the arch-rivals closer.
Provincial Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said that it took a long time to purchase the houses but the government did not step back.
“We know their importance and these valuable assets are in the government’s custody”, he added.
Yousufzai said that those were not just two houses but the culture of the two countries.
The official said that there were more historical places in the province belonging to different personalities of India which the provincial government intends to purchase in the future.
