Restoring history

Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar are most certainly two names, giant names of the Indian Hindi film industry. And to think that they both were born in Peshawar, then in India; lived in the same area and migrated to Bombay in 1920s to try their acting prowess and both created history; seems like something right out a Hindi movie!

They both lived in Peshawar around a road which is named Qissa Khwani, or Street of Storytellers. The Kapoor mansion was built between 1918 and 1922 by Raj Kapoor’s grandfather, Deewan Basheswarnath. His son, Prithviraj Kapoor first started acting in local plays in Peshawar and then moved to Bombay in late 1920s. The house changed hands a number of times and was saved from demolition by a heritage group. In 1990, Rishi and Randhir Kapoor also visited the haveli.

On the other hand, Dilip Kumar was born in Peshawar and his father was a fruit merchant. The family moved to India seeking fortune in the 1920s and later sold the house for a then princely sum of Rs.5,000. The house has since been sold several times and is currently being used as a warehouse.

The good news – both the houses are on the radar of the Govt there to be restored and turned into museums by the local government. The only question – how many of us will be allowed to visit this place?