Prices fixed for Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor’s houses
PAKISTAN’S Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has determined the price of the ancestral houses of legendary Bollywood actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in the heart of its city-Peshawar at $50,259 and $62,699 respectively.
The provincial government in September decided to purchase their ancestral houses to conserve the historic buildings which are in dilapidated condition and facing demolition threat.
The two buildings, located in the heart of this northern Pakistani city, have been declared as national heritage.
Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar Muhammad Ali Asghar, following a report of the Communication and Works Department, fixed the price of Kumar’s four Marla house for $50,259 while that of Kapoor’s six Marla house for $62,699.
Marla, a traditional unit of area used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, is considered as equal to 272.25 square feet or 25.2929 square metres.
The archaeology department has sent a formal request to the provincial government for releasing over $27m for purchasing both the historic buildings, where the two greats of the Indian cinema were born and raised in their early days before the Partition.
Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home, known as
Kapoor Haveli, is situated in the fabled Qissa Khwani Bazar. It was built between 1918 and 1922 by the legendary actor’s grandfather Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor. Raj Kapoor and his uncle Trilok Kapoor were born in the building. It has been declared national heritage by the provincial government.
Veteran actor Kumar’s over 100-year-old ancestral house is also located in the same locality. The house is in shambles and was declared as national heritage in 2014 by the then Nawaz Sharif government.
The owners of the two buildings made many attempts in the past to demolish them for constructing commercial plazas in view of their prime location but all such moves were stopped as the archaeology department wanted to preserve them, keeping in view their historic importance.