House of Dilip Kumar, Peshawar

Coordinates: 34°00′29.5″N 74°34′31.4″E / 34.008194°N 74.575389°E

House of Dilip Kumar, Peshawar
Dilip Kumar's house
Location	Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

House of Dilip Kumar, Peshawar housed the Indian film actor Dilip Kumar. Born in Peshawar, British India on 11 December 1922, Dilip Kumar relocated to Mumbai in the late 1930s with family. It was named as a Pakistani national heritage monument on 13 July 2014 by the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.^[1][2]

Dilip Kumar visited his house once and sentimentally kissed the soil.^[3] In 1988, he visited Peshawar and in an interview given at the PC Hotel fondly recalled the days of his childhood and growing up, lapsing into Hindko and Pashto time to time.^[4] In 1997, when he was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civilian honor, he was unable to reach the house because of uncontrollable crowds.^[5] The government has been trying to acquire the house.^[6]

Location

The house is located in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.^[2][7]

Acquisition

On 13 July 2013, Nawaz Sharif directed the ministry of information, broadcasting and national heritage to acquire the house. The order was forwarded to the director general of Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) for implementation. According to media sources, the move was intended to promote the cultural India-Pakistan relations.^[1][2]

Conversion to museum

The Pakistani government planned to convert the site into a museum after acquisition. Planning was also being made to invite Dilip Kumar and other members of his family.^[1][2][8] On 26 July 2014, the house was declared as a "protected monument" under the Antiquity Act of 1997.^[9]

Dilip Kumar and the Kapoor family

Both growing up in Peshawar and in Bombay, Dilip Kumar and his family had close friendly relationship with the Kapoors. In his autobiography The Substance And The Shadow, Dilip Kumar writes:

“We were living in undivided India at the time and there was a sizeable Hindu population. Men as well as women mingled freely with Muslims in the market square, wishing each other and exchanging pleasantries ever so cheerfully. Aghaji (my father), had many Hindu friends, and one of them was Basheshwarnathji, who held an important job in the civil services. His elder son came to our house with him a few times and he stunned the ladies with his handsome appearances. That was Raj Kapoor’s father Prithviraj Kapoor.” ^[10]

See also

• Kapoor Haveli, ancestral house of the Kapoor family of Bollywood in Peshawar, also in same locality

References

1. "Dilip Kumar's ancestral home declared national heritage in Pakistan". IBN Live. July 13, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
2. "Dilip Kumar's ancestral home in Pakistan declared national heritage". Financial Express. July 13, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
3. Dilip Kumar house in Peshawar 11th Dec 2011, Yem Tv, Dec 11, 2011
4. Dilip Kumar interview in PC Hotel Peshawar, April 1988 Part 1, Prof Dr Rashid Iqbal, Aug 24, 2014
5. Dilip Kumar Real Home in Pakistan, Imran Khan, Sep 21, 2011
6. Save Dilip Kumar's dilapidated house in Peshawar, The Express Tribune, Dec 11, 2012
7. "Dilip Kumar's Pakistan home declared heritage site". Saudi Gazette. July 13, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
8. "Dilip Kumar's house declared national heritage by Pakistan". The Times of India. July 14, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
9. "Dilip Kumar's house now a protected building". Dawn. July 26, 2014. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
10. Bollywood finds roots in Peshawar, IANS, Express Tribune, December 19, 2014