PESHAWAR, June 15 (APP): The century old ancestral house
of legendary Bollywood star, Dilip Kumar (Yousaf Khan) has
caved in, sending a wave of shock among his admirers
and cinema buffs.
A visit to Mohalla Khuda Dad in interior city near
Qissa Khawani Peshawar revealed that the upper portion of the house
had fully collapsed, leaving no chance of conservation.
The house was already in a very dilapidated condition for
the last several years and finally collapsed leaving only the
front portion and gate of the house undamaged.
The inner portion of the house had fully caved in and
required full reconstruction.
Director Archeology and Museums, Dr. Abdul Samad when contacted
said that the house structure was in shambles and according
to engineers could not be conserved.
“The only way to conserve this house was to reconstruct it
as the structure was irreparable,” Samad told APP.
He said the Archeology Department would soon start work
for construction of a replica of Dilip Kumar’s house under the
KP Antiquities Act 2016.
The house, Samad said, was in ownership of someone
and conservation efforts were halted due to litigation.
The new law authorizes Archeology Department to carry
conservation or reconstruction work at any ancient site without
getting its ownership, Samad informed.
“We have launched a project to document all historic and
ancient places within the Walled City of Peshawar and under
the same project, the replica of Dilip Kumar House would
be reconstructed soon,” Samad held out assurance.
It merits a mention here that several super stars
of Bollywood including Dilip Kumar, Kapoors, Shah Rukh Khan and
late Vinood Khana belonged to Peshawar and their ancestral
houses still existed in the city.
Dilip Kumar was born in 1922 at Mohalla Khuda Dad and in his
teens went to India to become a cinema star. He soon shot to
heights of prominence due to his excellent performance and
attractive looks.
Apart from Dilip Kumar, Kapoors, Vinood Khana and Shah Rush
Khan also became celebrities and heartthrobs for millions
of people across the globe.
The contribution of Dilip Kumar for cinema world was also
recognized by Government of Pakistan and in 1998 he
was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award of the country.
Meanwhile, President Cultural Journalist Forum KP, Ehtesham Toru
said it was very ironical that the ancestral house of Dilip Kumar
was not saved.
Talking to APP, Ehtesham said no practical step was taken
by the authorities concerned despite the fact the house was in
dilapidated condition for a long time and awaiting attention.
Ehtesham recalled that in 2014, the house was declared
as national heritage by KP Archeology Department.
General Secretary, Cultural Heritage Council, Shakeel
Waheedullah said he drew the attention of KP government
several time over the ramshackle condition of the house and
submitted six applications during the last couple of years,
but they remained unattended.
Deputy Director Culture KP, Shahbaz Khan when contacted by
APP said conservation of any structure was the responsibility
of Archeology Department.
“If there was any intangible cultural heritage within the
premises of the house, the cultural department would have
played its role,” Shahbaz told APP.
