Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor’s Ancestral Homes In Pakistan To Become Museums

Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor’s ancestral homes in Pakistan’s Peshawar city will be turned into museums. The reconstruction and renovation process, which is likely to take two years, kicked off on Monday. Dr. Abdus Samad, Director of Archaeology, told PTI that the cost of this project will be around Rs 70 million. The project began around 11 years after the then-Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, declared these houses a national heritage site.

Dr Samad further revealed that the primary goal is to safeguard the province’s historical and cultural heritage while promoting heritage tourism. Meanwhile, the provincial government’s Advisor for Tourism, Zahid Khan Shinwari, said that these projects would revolutionise the tourism sector.

Shinwari said, as quoted by PTI, “With the support of the World Bank, these projects will revolutionise the tourism sector in the province. Our aim is to make Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s beautiful cultural landmarks a focal point for tourists worldwide.”

In 1988, Dilip Kumar visited his ancestral home as well. He moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) in the 1930s with his family. In 1997, he was also honoured with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, which is Pakistan’s highest civilian honour.

Meanwhile, Raj Kapoor left his home in Pakistan, along with his family, during partition. Their home was purchased in an auction in 1968 and then sold to a resident of Peshawar. Raj Kapoor’s younger brother, Shashi Kapoor and his sons Randhir and Rishi Kapoor visited their ancestral home in 1990.

About Raj Kapoor And Dilip Kumar:

Both Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar are considered legends in Indian cinema. Dilip Kumar made his acting debut with the 1944 film ‘Jwar Bhata’. He was at the top of his game from 1940s to 1960s and worked in many hit movies like ‘Babul’, ‘Andaz’, ‘Mughal-E-Azam’, ‘Ram Aur Shyam’, ‘Gunga Jumna’, ‘Nadiya Ke Paar’, ‘Jogan’, ‘Gopi’, ‘Bairaag’, ‘Devdas’, ‘Leader’ and many more. His last on-screen presence was in 1998 in the film ‘Qila’.

Raj Kapoor is often called ‘The Greatest Showman Of Indian Cinema’ and ‘Charlie Chaplin Of Indian Cinema’ due to his great work. He’s known for his movies like ‘Mera Naam Joker’, ‘Shree 420’, ‘Awaara’, ‘Boot Polish’, ‘Neel Kamal’, ‘Aag’, ‘Parivartan’, ‘Andaz’, ‘Barsaat’, ‘Anari’, ‘Bobby’ and many more.