The birthplace of Bol lywood legend Raj Kapoor has been partially demolished by its owner here in Pakistan, the Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.
Officials of the archaeology directorate said they made an eleventh-hour attempt on Saturday to save the historic building located in Dhaki Munawar Shah area of the walled city but failed.By then, however, the top floor of the 98-year-old four-storey “Kapoor Haveli” was pulled down, the Dawn said. They said the rest of the building was badly damaged.The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had earlier declared the houses of Peshawar-born Bollywood actors Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar as heritage to protect and preserve them.The officials told Dawn that they learned about the demolition of the house on Saturday morning and sought police help to halt the razing.They complained that instead of stopping the razing, police officials got into formalities and sought a written application.
“After much haggling, police personnel followed us to the site and the demolition stopped,” an official was quoted as saying.Born on December 14, 1924, Raj Kapoor began to act at the age of 10 years and became one of the best known actors, producers and directors, enjoying global audiences, particularly in Asia and Europe.
His first film was Inquilab (1935). He earned fame with Neel Kamal in 1947 and set up the RK Films banner in 1948. His memorable hits include Boot Polish, Sangam, Mera Naam Joker, Awaara and “Shree 420”. He got the Padma Bhushan in 1971 for his contribution to Indian cinema.
Dawn said the archaeology directorate wanted a police case registered against the house owner.The current owner claimed to have a notice of the municipal authorities asking him to pull down the structure “as its condition was too precarious and it could collapse any time”, the report said. (IANS)
