New Delhi: The ancestral homes of Bollywood legends Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Pakistan are at risk of collapsing any moment, heritage experts and local residents warned on Sunday after heavy rains and a recent earthquake in Pakistan left the structures severely weakened.
Both properties, located in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, were declared as national heritage sites by the Pakistani government in 2016.
With pre-monsoon showers already underway and the monsoon season approaching, heritage experts have urged authorities to take immediate steps to preserve the historic structures.
Once regarded as one of Peshawar’s architectural landmarks, the century-old Kapoor Haveli in the Dhaki Nalbandi area of Qissa Khwani Bazar has suffered severe structural damage after persistent rains.
Tremors from the April 3 earthquake further damaged the fragile structure.
Meanwhile, the ancestral home of Dilip Kumar in the Mohallah Khudadad locality, built in traditional Peshawari style, stands in a dilapidated condition.
Once filled with activity and celebrations, the house has turned into a near-abandoned ruin, with roofs collapsing and walls steadily crumbling after every spell of rain.
Shakil Waheedullah, secretary of the non-profit Cultural Heritage Council KPK, told PTI that the government has failed to protect the historic properties and has left them neglected as their condition continues to worsen.
He noted that during 2021-22, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government sanctioned Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 2.35 crore for the acquisition of the ancestral homes and instructed the Archaeology Department to convert them into museums after the purchase process.
In July 2025, the provincial administration approved another PKR 33.8 million for the restoration and conservation of the heritage buildings.
Despite these announcements, no visible progress has been made.
“The government cannot carry out the preservation work due to a lack of funds and other resources. The government is serious in converting both the heritage buildings into museums in the name of Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar,” a provincial government official was quoted as saying by PTI.
Local residents and heritage conservation activists said the historic buildings require immediate restoration work instead of repeated official assurances.
Sharing his concern over the rapidly deteriorating condition of the structure, Abid Hussain, a person who operates a printing shop beside Raj Kapoor’s ancestral haveli said, “Heavy rains and strong earthquake tremors in recent months have severely weakened the structure, leaving deep cracks in its walls and foundations that could trigger a major accident at any moment.”
