Talking to APP, the provincial Culture Department said that the six-room house of the legendary actor, whose real name is Yousuf Khan, was located at Mohallah Khudadad, Qissa Khwani bazaar. It had been declared a national heritage as a tribute to the celebrated actor of Indian celluloid.
Kumar had left his house in 1942 before migrating to India. His relatives later sold it for Rs5.6 million.
"The repair and reconstruction work on the dilapidated house would be completed in few weeks and will later be opened for tourists and arts lovers," sources added.
Earlier in December, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Culture and Information Mian Iftikahr Hussain had said that Bollywood stars Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor “were legends of this soil and their residences in Peshawar would be given the status of national heritage so as to preserve them for the coming generations.” He had expressed these views while visiting the residences of Kumar and Kapoor at Qissa Khwani. Provincial Culture Secretary Azmat Hanif Orakzai, Director Culture Pervez Khan and prominent artiste and head of Hunar Kada College Islamabad Jamal Shah were also present. The minister had directed the culture secretary to immediately contact the owners of the houses for its acquisition in exchange for payment.
Speaking about talent in the province, the minister had said,“Kumar or Yousuf Khan, was the son of Peshawar who has won the hearts of millions of movie lovers in Pakistan and India. The soil of KP, particularly Peshawar, was rich in talent, having produced great personalities in the field of performing arts like Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Badar Munir, Firdous Jamal and Qavi Khan, who had millions of fans globally."
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