In a bid to preserve the pre-Partition culture that nurtured two of India’s film legends, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provincial government has sanctioned Rs. 2.35 crore to purchase the decrepit ancestral homes of Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar in Peshawar and turn them into museums. This is being done as part of the government’s plan to convert the two properties into major tourist attractions. The houses will reportedly require comprehensive restoration. The deals have already been struck with the owners of the two houses. The restoration work will begin once the deals are duly executed. The museums will showcase the journeys of the two superstars to Bollywood.
Both, Dilip Kumar’s old home and the landmark Kapoor Haveli, are in the Qissa Khwani Bazar area of Peshawar. The current owners of the two properties would have demolished them had the Pakistan government not declared them as part of national heritage. The owners had reportedly planned to construct commercial plazas in place of the two houses.