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Kapoor Haveli is a residential building in the city of
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
It is notable for being the former home of one generation of the
Kapoor family
The Kapoor family
The New York Times. 30 April 2020. is a prominent Indian show business fa ...
, a prominent show business family of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The building was constructed before the
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
, between 1918 and 1922, by Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, father of
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath Kapoor; 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema. He was associated with IPTA as one of its founding members and establish ...
, the first member of the family to enter film industry in 1928 as an extra in his first film, ''Be Dhari Talwar''.
[Rishi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi remember a compassionate human on 113th birth anniversary of Prithviraj Kapoor: ‘The man who started it all’]
Hindustan Times, Nov 03, 2019.[Remembering Prithviraj Kapoor: 10 facts you must know about the Father of Bollywood]
India Today, November 3, 2016. Among the notable members of the family,
Trilok Kapoor
Trilok Kapoor (11 February 1912 23 September 1988) was an Indian actor and a member of the Kapoor family who worked in Bollywood films. He was the younger brother of actor Prithviraj Kapoor.
Early and personal life
Trilok was born as the seco ...
, Prithiviraj's younger brother and his son,
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
were born in the building.
The Kapoors are
Punjabi Hindus
Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. While Punjabi Hindus are mostly found in the Indian state of Punjab today, many have ancestry from the greater Punjab region ...
. After the Partition in 1947, members of the family, like other
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s, left the city and the building. It was purchased in an auction in 1968 by a local individual from Charsadda town in the
North West Frontier Province
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...
under the settlement clause and then sold to a resident of Peshawar.
It is now being converted into a museum by IMGC Global Entertainment in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
with the support of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
government. In 2021, the Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar values the house at Rs 15 million. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's archaeology department plans to turn the houses into a museum. The deputy commissioner has sent the notices to the current owners. The current owner, Gul Rehman Mohmmad is asking for Rs 2 billion.
History
According to a wooden slab inside the entrance, the construction of the building was started in 1918 and completed in 1922 in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
.
The Kapoors are
Punjabi Hindus
Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. While Punjabi Hindus are mostly found in the Indian state of Punjab today, many have ancestry from the greater Punjab region ...
.
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
was born in this haveli in 1924. Two of his younger siblings, who died early in 1931, were also born here.
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, winning in the categories of Best Actor f ...
and
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor (pronounced əʃi kəpuːɾ (born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and film producer who is best known for his work in Hindi films. A recipient of several accolades, including four Nation ...
were born in India, but they visited and lived at the mansion at times. After the
Partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947, members of the family, like other
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s, left the city and the building. It was purchased in an auction in 1968 by a jeweller Haji Khushal Rasool from Charsadda town in the
North West Frontier Province
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...
under the settlement clause and then sold to a resident of Peshawar.
Haji Israr Shah, the current owner of the building, said his father had purchased the building in the mid-1980s. Area residents say they used the building for events like marriage celebrations. Local resident and former mayor Abdul Hakim Safi said "The house has been empty for about 12 years as its present owners visit rarely".
The owners of the historic building demolished its top three storeys two decades ago due to cracks created by an earthquake in its upper portion due to its location on steep mound. The building today is surrounded by commercial buildings, posing serious threat to its body.
Raj Kapoor's younger brother Shashi Kapoor, and sons,
Randhir Kapoor
Randhir Raj Kapoor (born 15 February 1947) is an Indian actor, film producer and director who worked in Hindi cinema. He was an established actor of the 1970s and received two Filmfare Award nominations. However, his career declined in the ear ...
and
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry base ...
, visited Peshawar and their old family home in 1990. They also took some soil from the compound to remember their heritage.
Architecture
The multi-storey house has about 40 rooms and its front is adorned with exquisite floral motifs and 'jharokas' or overhanging balconies. Many sections of the facade have begun crumbling.
Memories
The elders of Dhaki Munawar Shah when visited by a journalist in 2003 still recalled the days they spent with the Kapoor family. Abdul Wahid, a bedridden 75-year-old shoemaker, stated "I used to play with Raj Kapoor". He remembers when he enjoyed cold drinks with Raj Kapoor from Binori Lal's shop situated near the mansion. Mohammad Yaqoob, a 90-year-old resident of Dhakki, remembers Raj Kapoor. "He was my buddy back in the 1920s. He was a year younger than me. We used to play a game of sticks called gulli-danda. We went to the same school".
Kailashwati, next door neighbour in Samundari (birthplace of Prithviraj Kapoor), whom Kapoor family used to call "laal chunni" recalls how passionate Prithviraj Kapoor was about theatre.
The Kapoors moved to Mumbai in the 1930s, and their occasional visits to Peshawar ended completely after the partition of India in 1947, he says. Some of the family friends of the Kapoor family have visited the Kapoors.
SHASHI KAPOOR & M Y KHAN
KHAN1561, May 20, 2012
See also
* Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh
The Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh (Urdu/ pa, ), officially known as Government Victoria Girls' High School, is a haveli that houses a government school located in Lahore, Pakistan. Dating from the Sikh era of the mid-19th century, the haveli is consi ...
* House of Dilip Kumar, Peshawar
House of Dilip Kumar, Peshawar housed the Indian film actor Dilip Kumar. Born as Mohammad Yusuf Khan in Peshawar (North West Frontier Province, British India) on , one of twelve siblings, he moved to Bombay in the late 1930s with his family.
It ...
References
External links
Kapoor Haveli Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapoor Haveli
Tourist attractions in Peshawar
Buildings and structures in Peshawar
Houses completed in 1922
Houses in Pakistan