The connection is a cluster of family homes in Peshawar’s old city, near Qissa Khwani Bazaar—the “Story-tellers Bazaar.” Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were born in Peshawar; Shah Rukh Khan’s link is through his father and paternal family, not his own birthplace. The lanes join these histories to a bazaar whose identity is rooted in storytelling.
Why Qissa Khwani Bazaar matters
Qissa Khwani Bazaar—also spelled Qissa Khawani—is more than a landmark near the actors’ family homes. The Directorate General of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan, describes it as the Story-tellers Bazaar, located in Peshawar, and records a relative chronology of 1799–1849 CE. Its listing cites historian Ahmed Hassan Dani’s Peshawar: Historic City of the Frontier (1995). The heritage record connects the bazaar with coffee houses and storytelling: a fitting setting for the family histories associated with its surrounding lanes. Government heritage listing.
Dawn reported a personal connection to that tradition in 2021, quoting Dilip Kumar from a post on his account: “I have lovely memories of Qissa Khwani Bazaar, where I received my first lessons in storytelling, which later provided the impetus to choose meaty stories and scripts for my work.” Dawn’s report.
Dilip Kumar’s childhood home in Mohalla Khudadad
Dilip Kumar, born Yusuf Khan, was born in Peshawar in December 1922. Dawn reported in 2014 that he spent his first 12 years in a house in Mohalla Khudadad, near Qissa Khwani Bazaar. The same report said the four-marla house had been notified as a protected monument under the Antiquity Act of 1997. Dawn’s 2014 report.
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That account establishes a reported protection measure at that time; it does not establish that the house is now open to visitors.
Raj Kapoor and Kapoor Haveli
Raj Kapoor was born in Peshawar after his family moved there, according to a Dawn travel feature republished by Scroll. His family home, Kapoor Haveli, is in the Khan Raziq precinct, within walking distance of Qissa Khwani Bazaar. The feature describes it as a 1918-built property with wooden bay windows; those are the travel writer’s descriptions, not an official architectural assessment. Dawn travel feature republished by Scroll.
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In January 2021, Dawn reported that the provincial government had approved Rs24 million for acquiring the homes of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, with both intended to become museums after restoration. The report also gave component figures of Rs15 million for Kapoor Haveli and Rs8 million for Kumar’s house; because those amounts total Rs23 million, they should not be treated as a complete breakdown of the Rs24 million headline figure. It described Kapoor’s property as over six marla, a measurement not directly comparable with the four-marla figure reported for Kumar’s home without more context. Dawn’s 2021 report.
Shah Rukh Khan’s connection runs through his father
Shah Rukh Khan was not born in Peshawar. The connection is through his father, Taj Muhammad Khan, and the paternal family home. The Dawn travel feature places that house in Shahwali Qataal, across the bazaar, and reports that Shah Rukh Khan visited when he was young. The feature characterizes the house as modest in physical scale but significant for its family association. Dawn travel feature republished by Scroll. Associated Press of Pakistan also describes Shah Rukh Khan’s paternal family as rooted in Qissa Khwani. Associated Press of Pakistan feature.
What is known about preservation and visiting
Reports from different years describe successive preservation steps, rather than confirming that either home is now a functioning museum. Dawn reported the protected-monument notification for Kumar’s house in 2014. Associated Press of Pakistan reported in 2020 that the provincial government had taken possession of Kumar’s house and Kapoor Haveli. Dawn reported acquisition approval and plans for museum use after restoration in 2021. These reports do not establish whether restoration was completed, whether a museum opened, or whether visitors may enter the properties. APP’s 2020 account; Dawn’s 2021 report.
Anyone planning a visit should confirm current access with local heritage authorities before going. The available reports document the homes’ historical and preservation significance, but not present-day visitor arrangements.
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