Ever since it was announced that Director of Archaeology would acquire veteran actors Dilip Kumar & Raj Kapoor in Peshawar City, and after the acquisition, these will be restored under a project & conserved as museums under Peshawar revival plan. Saira Banu was hopeful that Dilip Saab's dream will come true, after a hiatus.
And now it seems that everything is falling in place.
Pakistan approves Rs 2.35 crore to purchase Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar's ancestral houses
On Saturday, Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government approved the release of Rs 2.35 crore to purchase the ancestral houses of legendary Bollywood actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor heart of this city and declared as national heritage.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmud Khan formally approved the proposal, allowing the authorities to purchase the ancestral Havelis at a rate determined by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Communication and Works Department (C&W) a few weeks back.
Price of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor's Marla houses
Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar Muhammad Ali Asghar, following a report of the Communication and Works Department, has fixed the price of Dilip Kumar's four marlas (101 square metres) house for Rs 80.56 lakh while that of Raj Kapoor's six marla house (151.75 square metres) for Rs 1.50 crore.
According to a report, the price of Kumar's four marla house has been set at Rs 80.69 lakh, while that of Kapoor's six marla house has been set for Rs 1.50 crore by news agency PTI.
Legendary actors were born and raised in these houses in their early days before India's partition
Both the houses had been declared a national heritage in 2014 by the then Navaz Sharif government. However, the owners of these houses made several attempts to demolish them for the construction of the commercial plaza.
Kapoor is regarded as one of the most influential actors and filmmakers in the Indian cinema. His works were admired by audiences worldwide, especially in the former Soviet Union, China, and Africa. Kapoor received several accolades for his diverse body of works in the lifetime, including three National Film Awards, 11 Filmfare awards.
Indian media veteran Pritish Nandy lauded Pakistan's move to preserve the ancestral houses of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.
