The Kapoor family is one of the most prominent families in the film industry. They are among the first families to be part of show business; with 96 years and four generations of active members in the industry, the Kapoor clan can easily be called the pioneers of Bollywood. However, did you know that the Kapoors hailed from the Peshawar region of Pakistan?
The Kapoor Haveli is still one of the most notable monuments in Pakistan. It was built over a century ago in Peshawar between 1918 and 1922. The estate was the home to the first member of the Kapoor clan to enter the film industry, Prithviraj Kapoor. The house was built by his father, Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor.
Kapoor Haveli in Pakistan is the birthplace of Raj Kapoor
The Kapoor haveli also saw the birth of Bollywood’s very own, Raj Kapoor. It was the same haveli in which Raj Kapoor’s two younger siblings were born, but they died in 1931. Prithviraj’s younger brother, Trilok, was also born in the same home. Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, on the other hand, were born in India. Nonetheless, they often visited and even lived in the haveli. While the building witnessed the lives of early generations of the Kapoors, it was left abandoned in 1947 after the Partition. Like many other families, Raj Kapoor also moved to India after the Partition of 1947, leaving behind the city, the buildings and the memories of his childhood. However, it was in 1968 that the haveli was auctioned to a local individual from Charsadda under the settlement clause, and later was sold to a resident of Peshawar.
The owner of the building has demolished three top storeys of the Kapoor Haveli
The building’s last known owner revealed that his father had purchased the house in the mid-1980s. He shared that the area’s residents often use the place for personal events, such as wedding celebrations. The former mayor, Abdul Hakim, also mentioned that the house had been empty for the past decade, as the owners rarely visited.
The owner had also demolished the top three storeys of the historic building decades ago due to the cracks that occurred in the house after an earthquake. They also expressed their desire to demolish the entire building, as not only would it pose a serious threat to its structural integrity with the commercialisation in the area, but also because it would make a prime location for a commercial complex.
The Kapoor Haveli features around 40 rooms
The Kapoor haveli was one of the finest architectures of its time. The house consisted of 40 rooms. The front of the house was adorned with intricate floral motifs and jharokhas. While the house is now in an extremely delicate condition, its beauty still stands out, even after years of being left abandoned.
Peshawar residents remembered playing with the Kapoor children
It was back in 2003 when a journalist enquired about the residents of the area, Dhaaki Munawwar Shah. During his conversations with the elders of the localities, a bedridden 75-year-old shoemaker, Abdul Wahid, recalled how he used to play with the young Raj Kapoor. He revealed that they would sip cold drinks from Binori Lal’s shop, located near the mansion when they were children. The journalist also talked to the neighbour of Prithviraj Kapoor in Samundari. The lady named, Kailashwati recalled how the Kapoors would call her ‘Laal Chunni’. She also shared that Prithviraj was extremely passionate about theatre from a very young age. Another 90-year-old resident, Mohammad Yaqoob, shared that Raj Kapoor was his buddy wack in the day and stated:
“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.”
Pakistan Government denied custody of the Kapoor Haveli
In 2023, Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government initiated the process for the formal transfer of the Kapoor haveli. The government aimed to convert the building into a museum. However, the owners of the place were against the takeover. Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Khalid Mehmud issued final notices to the present owners of the historic buildings, summoning them to submit their reservations regarding the prices of the haveli fixed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government in May 2023.
Additionally, the Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa informed the court that the building was declared a national heritage site in 2016 following a notification from the provincial archaeology department. While the owners pushed for the home to be demolished, all plans were halted due to its historic importance. The conversion of the building into a museum by IMGC Global Entertainment has since been underway, with notices being issued to the owners for handover.
What are your thoughts on the Kapoor haveli in Peshawar? Let us know!
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