Forgotten residences of Bollywood greats stand on the brink of revival

Deeply hidden away in the centuries-old Storytellers’ Bazaar in
Peshawar, the once-homes of Bollywood superstars are being brought back to life
as the city unravels from years of Islamist militancy, reported AFP.

The ancestral homes of Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, rife with
decades with neglect, barely carry any symbols of their link to one of the world’s
biggest film industries that is Bollywood.

The team overseeing the process says that it is close to acquire
the mansions from their private owners and turning them into museums.

Read more: The story of rise, fall and restoration of Dilip Kumar’s bungalow in Pakistan’s Peshawar

“I always feel sad and angry while looking at Kapoor’s house, that
it once was a beautiful mansion of top quality,” says Samiuddin Khan, with the
passionate memory of running through the 40-room giant house and flying kites
from its roof.

The house of Kapoor, who passed away in 1988 aged 63, inculcates architectural
qualities of Mughal, Central Asian and British origins, carrying intricately
carved doors and balconies as well as Gothic-style windows.

Kumar’s house, on the other hand, is simpler and largely due to the
absence of a roof, with an interior that is heavily damaged.

In spite of this visible characteristic dichotomy, both the actors
grew up in a quarter that is known as Qissa Khwani (Storytellers’ Bazaar) where
travellers would share stories of their adventure.

Kumar, now 97, credits his successful career to this locality,
where he first learned to narrate.

However, just like millions of other people who lost their homes
and set foot into India, Kumar and Kapoor came to Bombay, and even starred
alongside each other in 1949 hit ‘Andaz’.

Present-day Bollywood sensation Shah Rukh Khan also has roots in
the area, but due to being in use, his family home has not suffered the same
fate.

Across the country, hundreds of pre-partition buildings, many of
them constructed by Hindus and Sikhs before the partition, have been either
standing in a ruinous state or have been demolished over the years.

After suffering from being a terrorist-Islamist hotbed from the
1980’s till 2015 when a military crackdown near the Afghan border finally led
to vast improvements in security. Throughout this period, the rich Pashto-language
cinema was wiped off in the region and music shops were closed down.

With the revival of the city, more than 1800 such buildings have
been chosen by the archaeology team of the province for preservation.

“We felt proud and held our heads high while watching the actors
from Peshawar performing in Indian movies, that this land has produced such
great actors who proved their worth in Mumbai,” said Khalo Khalil Sarhadi, an 80-year
old resident of Peshawar.

“Now the new generations will know Peshawar has produced big stars
and actors, those who have given an identity to Pakistan and India,” Sarhardi
said of the museum projects.