Dilip Kumar’s Pali Hill bungalow to make way for boutique flats, thespian museum
The project, spread over 1.75 lakh sq ft at the corner of Nargis Dutt Road, has been named ‘The Legend by Ashar’. ‘The Legend’ is the second luxury project by the group in Pali Hill after ‘Navroze by Ashar’, which witnessed one of the highest property deals in Pali Hill when one of the 5,000-sq-ft flats fetched a rate of ₹.35 lakh per sq ft
Actor Dilip Kumar’s old bungalow on Nargis Dutt Road in Pali Hill, which came into the spotlight after his wife Saira Banu alleged that a developer was trying to usurp the property, will make way for an ultra-luxury project by the Ashar Group, and include a 2,000-sq-ft museum on the ground floor immortalising the thespian’s legacy. The museum is likely to have a separate entry for visitors.
The project, spread over 1.75 lakh sq ft at the corner of Nargis Dutt Road, has been named ‘The Legend by Ashar’. ‘The Legend’ is the second luxury project by the group in Pali Hill after ‘Navroze by Ashar’, which witnessed one of the highest property deals in Pali Hill when one of the 5,000-sq-ft flats fetched a rate of xxy1.35 lakh per sq ft.
Proposed to be built with an emphasis on the Art Deco style of architecture, the project will have only 15 boutique residences ranging from 3,200 sq ft to 7,000 sq ft and will cater to high-net-worth individuals like industrialists, entrepreneurs, cultural luminaries, film stars, global athletes, and Fortune 500 CXOs, according to the developer.
Speaking about the salient features of the project, Ayushi Ashar, director of Ashar Group, said, “Real estate is more than just brick and mortar. It is an emotion. And it is art and design in its largest form. At ‘The Legend’, we bring a collection of couture homes that is private, personalised and futuristic. It is an exclusive community of individuals who are driven by values, principles and opulence. With columnless floorplates, the widest span of windows, large decks and massive internal heights, these vertical villas will charm like no other and will be the rarest find.
“Adding to the heritage charm of the building, we are also bringing to life Saira Banuji’s long-cherished dream of immortalising the late Dilip Sahab’s legacy through a museum space celebrating his life and journey,” added Ashar, who handles the marketing function of the Thane-headquartered group.
When contacted, Saira Banu recalled fondly of her stay at the bungalow at 48, Pali Hill . “I have a great many happy and happiest memories of living with Dilip Sahab at his 48, Pali Hill home for many years...We were married in October 1966 and my dream came true... of course our well attended Valima was conducted there,” she recalled.
She said at that point, Dilip Kumar was frequently travelling to South India for film shootings. “Actually just prior to our marriage, Sahab had more or less shifted to Madras because he was shooting all of his films down South. Dilip Sahab liked the South Indian industry’s disciplined atmosphere of work and their quality of privacy. I also loved it out there, but both our families were here and Sahab had a huge number of family members to whom he had always been very attached, particularly as he had lost his parents as a very young man. So, we gradually came back to our home here,” she added.
Ashar Group chairman Ajay Ashar, who was also handpicked by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to be the vice-president of the state’s planning body, Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), told HT that the legal issues plaguing the project had been settled amicably after consent terms were signed with two developers in September 2022 and April 2023.
The property came into the news spotlight in 2018 when Dilip Kumar’s wife, Saira Banu, made allegations that a developer was trying to grab the bungalow, and lodged a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police. The developer was later arrested and released on bail. Saira Banu had also tweeted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention after the developer got bail in December 2018.
The project has been registered with MahaRERA and possession of the flats is scheduled for December 31, 2027.