Many Bollywood actors are known around the globe due to their hard work in the industry. Their acting abilities and talents made them the superstars in the eye of their fans. Their admirers presumably find it interesting to know everything about them, as they love and cherish their work. Most of the people already know much about their favorite stars, however, not everything is a part of their knowledge regarding their Bollywood stars. The fans might find it illuminating to know about the origins of their much-loved superstars i.e. the homeland where they used to live or from where their ancestors belonged. There are many Bollywood actors from Peshawar Pakistan or they have roots in the north-western part of British-India.
Shahrukh Khan One of the Biggest Bollywood Actors from Peshawar
Shahrukh Khan is also known as the king khan in the Bollywood industry due to his acting, action, and romance in films. Many of his fans know his journey in Bollywood and how he became king khan after defeating the hurdles and hardships on his way towards success. However, there might be some of his devotees who would be amazed to learn that Mr. Khan’s background lies with Pakistan. His father Taj Mohammed Khan was a Peshawar citizen. Although Khan was born in New Dehli, he once visited Peshawar, Pakistan with his father to meet his relatives.
At a Bollywood award function in 2005, Sharukh khan spoke about his father’s background and his connection with Pakistan. He also mentioned that he is a Pathan from Peshawar and has strong ties with the city. He also addressed the Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi while saying that whenever Pakistan wins a match, he thinks that his father’s side won. On the other hand, when India wins a match, he thinks that his mother’s side won. The reason is that his mother Lateef Fatima belonged to India.
According to media reports, Shahrukh’s relatives still live in Peshawar’s area Qissa Khwani Bazar. Noor Jehan (Munni) was written on the door of his house, where his father used to live. Shahrukh Khan’s cousin had also contested in the 2018 Elections.
Mohammed Yusuf Khan aka Dilip Kumar:
As many say, Dilip Kumar doesn’t require any introduction, however, his real name is Mohammed Yusuf Khan. Dilip is his filmy name which is known around the world today. He is famous for many of his blockbuster movies in Hindi cinema. Furthermore, he is popular for his method acting technique since he has won multiple Filmfare awards for best actor.
The Famous Dilip Kumar also belonged to Peshawar. His family used to live in a house in Qissa Khawani Bazaar. His father owned orchards and was a merchant in Peshawar However, in 1935, the whole family migrated to Mumbai for business.
In October 2020, the pictures of Dilip Kumar’s ancestral house went viral on social media. Upon the videos, Kumar shared the same post and thanked people for sharing the photos. He also requested to share more of the pictures of his house and tag him.
Raj Kapoor
Another one of the most famous actors from Peshawar was Raj Kapoor; He was the son of Prithviraj Kapoor who led the foundation of acting in the Kapoor Family. Raj was born in Peshawar, Pakistan. Amazingly, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Sharukh khan belonged to the same neighborhood Qissa Khawani Bazaar. Today, many people recognize the Bazaar by the names of these famous Bollywood actors.
Coming back to Prithviraj Kapoor, who encouraged his son to join acting as his career. He was a pioneer of Indian theatre since allegedly he migrated to Mumbai for acting in theaters. He was the one who played the popular role of Emperor Akbar in the 1960’s Mughal e Azam movie.
Other members of Kapoor family who have worked or are working in bollywood include Rishi Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Karishma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.
Vinod Khanna
Vinod Khanna is known as one of the most handsome popular Bollywood actors. Although the renowned Indian actor Vinod’s roots are tied to Peshawar as well. He was born in Sadar District, Peshawar
Vinod’s father, Mehr Chand Khanna was a wealthy person of Peshawar but he migrated to India in 1947. According to the well-known film historian Mohammad Ibrahim Zia, he met Vinod in New Delhi and felt very good to hear that Vinod was delighted to see someone from Peshawar. Mr. Khanna always admired his birthplace in fact at a function in 1990, he proudly mentioned that he belonged to Peshawar. As per Zia, in a meeting with Vinod Khanna, the delegation gifted him Sandals from Peshawar, upon which, he became very happy. His love for his birthplace always remained intact.
Vindo Khanna’s son Akshay Khanna is also a popular bollywood actor.
Anil Kapoor
Another famous Bollywood actor from Peshawar roots is Anil Kapoor who is also the brother of producer Bonney Kapoor; they are the sons of Indian film producer Surinder Kapoor who was born in Peshawar then British India. Surinder was also the cousin of Prithviraj Kapoor. Apart from Anil Kapoor, many members of the Kapoor family are in Bollywood including Sonam Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, and Jhanvi Kapoor.
Amjad Khan
Well, almost every person who watches Bollywood movies, knows about Gabbar Singh, which was Amjad Khan’s most popular role ever. Although, he was born in Peshawar, Pakistan, and belonged to an Afghani Pashtun family. Nevertheless, his time was rather short in Pakistan since supposedly, he migrated to India to become an actor. Before making his name in the Bollywood industry, Amjad started a theater actor.
Madhubala
The iconic Anarkali was also another of the popular Bollywood actors from Peshawar and connected to the city of Pathans. Madhubala’s real name was Mumtaz Jahan begum. Her father was Ataullah Khan who used to work with the Imperial Tobacco Company in Peshawar with the British. However, he cut ties with Peshawar after losing his job and migrating to India along with his family. In India, Mumtaz begum initiated her journey as an actress and become a star on the silver screen.
Although these actors created their careers in the Hindi film industry as Bollywood stars, they have always shown enthusiasm towards their ancestral place: Peshawar.
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