Haji Ali Sabir, the present owner of Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home in Peshawar in Pakistan, has declined to sell the haveli at the rate fixed by the provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. He has alleged that the price of Rs. 1.5 crore for the six-marla prime property amounts to gross undervaluation. The provincial government had earlier in the month approved the release of Rs. 1.5 crore for the legendary actor’s home with the intention of turning it into a museum as a mark of honour to the star. Marla is a traditional unit of area used in India and Pakistan to measure land. One marla is equal to 272.25 square feet. According to Sabir, the right value of the house is Rs. 200 crore.
The property, known as Kapoor Haveli, was built between 1918 and 1922 by late Raj Kapoor’s grandfather. Raj Kapoor was born there.