Ancestral homes of Dilip Kumar & Raj Kapoor at risk in Pakistan

The Kapoor Haveli was the home to Prithviraj Kapoor — the first member of the Kapoor clan to enter the film industry. The house was built by his father, Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, between 1918 and 1922. Raj Kapoor and his uncle Trilok Kapoor were born here

The ancestral homes of legendary Indian actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Peshawar can collapse any time, heritage experts and locals said on Sunday, after the rain-battered buildings became vulnerable due to a recent earthquake in Pakistan. Both houses in the capital city of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were declared national heritage by the government of Pakistan in 2016.

With the pre-monsoon showers and the rainy season barely weeks away, experts have drawn the government’s attention to the neglected condition of the buildings and demanded immediate preservation of the landmark edifices. Once an architectural jewel of Peshawar, the century-old Kapoor Haveli in Dhaki Nalbandi of Qissa Khwani Bazar neighbourhood suffered structural damage after continuous rains weakened the building, while tremors on April 3 further destabilised its already dilapidated structure. Dilip Kumar’s house, a typical Peshawari building that once echoed with life and festivity but now resembles a deserted ruin, is located in the Mohallah Khudadad area. 

The building is in an alarming state, with the roofs of several rooms already caved in, while walls continue to crumble into debris with every rainfall.