Ashar Group Unveils A Luxury Project Honoring Dilip Kumar's Legacy

The Ashar Group has unveiled its new project called 'The Legend by Ashar,' covering an area of 1.75 lakh sq ft located at the corner of Nargis Dutt Road. This luxury development marks their second venture in Pali Hill, following the success of 'Navroze by Ashar,' where a 5,000-sq-ft flat was sold at an impressive rate of Rs 35 lakh per sq ft. The famous Nargis Dutt Road bungalow, once owned by the renowned actor Dilip Kumar, has been acquired by the Ashar Group for this ultra-luxury project. The property has gained attention in recent times due to allegations by Dilip Kumar's wife, Saira Banu, against a developer trying to take over the land. The new development will also feature a 2,000-sq-ft museum on the ground floor, dedicated to preserving the legendary actor's legacy, with a separate entry for visitors. Designed with an emphasis on the elegant Art Deco style of architecture, 'The Legend by Ashar' will offer 15 boutique residences, ranging from 3,200 sq ft to 7,000 sq ft. The development is tailored to cater to high-net-worth individuals, including industrialists, entrepreneurs, cultural luminaries, film stars, global athletes, and Fortune 500 CXOs, as stated by 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. Ajay Ashar, the chairman of Ashar Group and the appointed vice-president of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, stated that the legal issues surrounding the project were resolved through amicable agreements with two developers. These consent terms were signed in September 2022 and April 2023. The property gained public attention in 2018 when Saira Banu, Dilip Kumar's wife, alleged that a developer was attempting to seize their bungalow. She filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police, leading to the arrest of the developer who was later released on bail. Saira Banu also reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a tweet, seeking his intervention after the developer's release on bail in December 2018. See also: DLF reports soaring demand and record sales in premium housing sectorEmbassy Group's luxury housing sales surge in FY23