Prithviraj Kapoor's ancestral home in Peshawar is in dire need of repair, with local residents saying authorities should take over the structure so that it can be made a tourist attraction.
Late Bollywood actor Prithviraj Kapoor's ancestral home in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar is in dire need of repair, with some local residents saying authorities should take over the ramshackle structure so that it can be made a tourist attraction.
The Kapoor family's large home at Dhakki Munawar Shah near the famous Qissa Khwani Bazar is still visited by Pakistani and domestic tourists but parts of the exterior facade have begun to crumble and the interiors too are in a dilapidated condition.
"The house is like a museum. It is one of the oldest houses in the Dhakki area," said Chacha Yaqub Khan, a milkman who was once a classmate of late actor-director Raj Kapoor.
Recalling the Kapoors' love for Peshawar, Yaqub told Dawn News channel, "When one of the members of the Kapoor family came here some years ago, he picked up some earth as soon as he stepped through the door and kissed it."
The multi-storey house has about 40 rooms and its front is adorned with exquisite floral motifs and 'jharokas' or overhanging balconies. However, many sections of the facade have begun crumbling and local residents feel that the structure should be taken over by the authorities so that it can be refurbished and preserved.
Nadeem, a resident of Dhakki Munawar Shah, said the government should preserve the home as such a move would promote better ties between India and Pakistan.
The Kapoor family's links with Peshawar are remembered fondly by residents of the city. Actor Shashi Kapoor and his nephews Randhir and Rishi Kapoor visited the house during a trip to Peshawar in 1990.
When the Kapoor family left the home after the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947, the structure was occupied by some persons. It was purchased in an auction in 1968 by one Khushal Rasool from Charsadda town in the North West Frontier Province and then sold to a resident of Peshawar.
The NWFP government now plans to set up a cultural directorate to take care of the renovation and preservation of heritage sites. Provincial culture minister Aqil Shah said the Kapoor home is one of "innumerable buildings" in and around Peshawar that are in need of renovation.
"The Kapoor House is definitely one of the buildings we would like to preserve," Shah said.
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