Space earmarked for Dilip Kumar museum in his Bandra house to be sold

The yesteryear actress has allegedly initiated the process of selling the ground floor, a commercial unit with a carpet area of 1,696 square feet. The Ashar Group, which redeveloped the property, had in 2023 announced a museum in this space to immortalise thespian Dilip Kumar’s legacy.

MUMBAI: Veteran actress Saira Banu is reportedly in the process of selling a portion of her late husband Dilip Kumar’s bungalow at Bandra’s Pali Hill, now redeveloped into an 11-storey building called ‘The Legend By Ashar’. The space was earmarked for a museum dedicated to the late actor.

Space earmarked for Dilip Kumar museum in his Bandra house to be sold

The yesteryear actress has allegedly initiated the process of selling the ground floor, a commercial unit with a carpet area of 1,696 square feet. The Ashar Group, which redeveloped the property, had in 2023 announced a museum in this space to immortalise thespian Dilip Kumar’s legacy.

A source stated that the museum area was designed to have an independent entry/exit and three car parking slots. Another person from the real estate industry told Hindustan Times that the sale of the property marked for the museum was being done “internally”.

Prior to the redevelopment, the development agreement had mentioned that a refundable deposit of ₹350 crore would be paid to Saira Banu for her own requirements, liabilities, taxation and so on. Once the redeveloped building is ready, this amount is to be refunded by her.

If Saira Banu’s share of property in ‘The Legend’ is liquidated, the first proceeds will be utilised towards the repayment of the ₹350 crore. Therefore, the possibility of the museum area being sold towards the repayment cannot be ruled out, said a source. Ashar Group director Ayushi Ashar remained unavailable for comment.

The project, by Ashar Group and Black Rock CA, is spread over 1,75,000 square feet with less than 20 ultra-luxury apartments ranging between 3,200 and 7,000 square feet in size.

In 2018, the property was in the spotlight when Saira Banu alleged that a developer was trying to grab the bungalow and lodged a complaint with the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing. The developer was later arrested and released on bail. The legal issues plaguing the property were later settled amicably after consent terms were signed with the first developers in September 2022 and the present one in April 2023.