A significant portion of the century-old ancestral home of Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor has collapsed in Peshawar following a dual blow of extreme weather and seismic activity.
Local residents and heritage officials reported on Saturday, April 4, 2026, that recent heavy rains, coupled with a powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake on Friday night, caused structural failure in the already dilapidated landmark.
The “Kapoor Haveli,” located in the historic Qissa Khwani Bazar, was declared a national heritage site by the Pakistan government in 2016. However, years of neglect have left the building in a fragile state. Shakeel Waheedullah, Secretary of the Heritage Council in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), confirmed that a section of the haveli’s wall caved in after the earthquake tremors late Friday. While no casualties were reported, the incident has raised immediate alarms regarding the safety of the remaining 40-room structure.
Built between 1918 and 1922 by Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, the haveli is a cornerstone of cinema history, serving as the birthplace of both Raj Kapoor and his uncle, Trilok Kapoor.
Its facade, once famous for intricate floral motifs and ornate jharokhas, has long been a site of pilgrimage for film enthusiasts, including Rishi and Randhir Kapoor, who visited in the 1990s. Waheedullah has issued an urgent appeal to the provincial government and the archaeology department, warning that without immediate restoration, this vital piece of the subcontinent’s shared cultural history could be lost forever.