Superstar Dilip Kumar/ Facebook
The provincial government in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has decided to purchase the ancestral houses of legendary Bollywood actors Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. The Department of Archaeology in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province has decided to allocate sufficient funds for purchasing the two buildings.
The two buildings which have been declared as the national heritage and lie in the heart of Peshawar city are in a totally dilapidated condition and are facing demolition threat. The officials plan to conserve the historic buildings.
According to reports, an official letter has been sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar to determine the cost of both the buildings.
Raj Kapoor's ancestral home known as Kapoor Haveli is situated in the fabled Qissa Khwani Bazar and was built between 1918 and 1922.
Raj Kapoor was born in the building.
Meanwhile, veteran actor Dilip Kumar's over 100-year-old ancestral house is also located in the same locality.
The house was declared as national heritage in 2014.
Reportedly, the current owner of the Kapoor Haveli, Ali Qadar has demanded Rs 200 crores from the KP government to sell it out to the government. In 2018, Rishi Kapoor requested the Pakistan Government to convert the Kapoor Haveli into a museum.
However, the request was not materialised.