Funeral prayers in absentia held in Peshawar for Dilip Kumar

Resident of Peshawar offered funeral prayers in absentia for Indian actor Dilip Kumar who died at the age of 98 in Mumbai.

According to reports, the funeral prayers for the legendary actor were held in his ancestral home in Qissa Khwani.

Kumar, who won worldwide fame playing tragic heroes in Bollywood films, died on Wednesday and was laid to rest with state honours in India.

Fans crowded outside the crematorium in suburban Mumbai where the actor's body was taken, hoping to catch one last glimpse of the star of "Devdas" and "Mughal-E-Azam", whose family had moved from what is now Pakistan when he was a child.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan both expressed condolences.

Born Mohammed Yusuf Khan in 1922 in Peshawar, now in Pakistan, he changed his Muslim name to the Hindi Dilip Kumar for the screen after a suggestion from actress Devika Rani, whose studio, Bombay Talkies, produced his first film.

He is survived by his wife, Saira Banu, a top Bollywood leading lady in the 1960s and 1970s.

At his residence in Mumbai, Bollywood stars thronged to pay their respects, among them actor Shah Rukh Khan, producer Karan Johar and actress Vidya Balan.

Authorities in Peshawar said they were planning to restore the actor's ancestral home in a narrow lane of the city.

"We are now working on its conservation,” said Dr Abdus Samad, director general of archaeology department.