The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has set a price to buy the ancestral homes of Bollywood actors, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Peshawar. The houses will be converted into museums by the archaeology department of KP. The KP archaeology department has declared the two houses a national heritage site that is recognized internationally.
The purchase of both houses is estimated to be Rs.24 million which includes the cost of land and infrastructure. The price of Dilip Kumar’s house has been fixed at Rs. 80,056,696, and the price for Raj Kapoor’s house has been fixed at Rs.15 million.
After the purchase of these two houses, they will be repaired and restored in their original form in two phases. In the last phase, the houses will be converted into museums under the restoration plan.
The ancestral homes of both the Bollywood actors are located in the ‘Qissa Khwani Bazaar’- a ‘Street of Story-tellers’ in Peshawar. Both the actors were born and raised there. However, they moved to India in 1947 before the creation of Pakistan.
After the purchase of these two houses, they will be repaired and restored in their original condition in two phases, and in the last phase, the houses will be converted into museums under the restoration plan. #KPArchaeology https://t.co/pzfsp69uXp
— KPDOAM (@KPDOAMOfficial) December 12, 2020
Read more: Pakistan aims to renovate Kapoor Haveli in Peshawar
Ancestral homes of Bollywood actors in KP
“We are now in the process to arrange the amount to acquire the buildings. We plan conservation and rehabilitation of the two buildings to turn them into museums to highlight the connection Bollywood has with Peshawar,” said the director of the archaeology department, Dr. Abdul Samad to Arab News.
The current owners of the property were planning to demolish the house and build commercial centers here. KP government stopped the process under the Antiquity Act 2016 in September.
The purchase of both the houses is estimated at Rs. 24 million which includes the cost of land and infrastructure.
The price of the Dilip Kumar’s house has been fixed at Rs. 80,056,696, and the price for Raj Kapoor’s house has been fixed at Rs.15 million. #KPArchaeology
— KPDOAM (@KPDOAMOfficial) December 12, 2020
The news prompted a positive reaction from Kumar and his wife. The actor asked people in Pakistan to share with him the pictures of his ancestral home on Twitter.
The actor took to the social media platform of Twitter and expressed his gratitude to Pakistan in a tweet, referring to the recent decision of the KP government to purchase the home of the Bollywood actor and turn it into a museum.
“The move is part of efforts to restore Peshawar’s traditional culture which fell by the wayside due to the war on terror,” said Samad while talking to BBC in September.
Read more: ‘Fond memories of happy days’: Dilip Kumar thanks Pakistan for saving Peshawar home
The archaeological department is planning to conserve and turn the mansions into museums that will be adorned with the memorabilia of the respective actors, including Shah Rukh Khan. There will also be a film library and other elements reflecting Peshawar’s Bollywood connection.