Former Pakistani showbiz figure, actress Faryal Gohar, has provided candid insights into her marriage and subsequent divorce from actor Jamal Shah, revealing that her commitment to the marriage involved major cultural shifts, including adopting the burqa out of love, but ultimately, affection alone could not sustain the relationship.
Appearing as a guest on a private TV channel, Faryal Gohar disclosed that prior to her marriage, she came from a liberal background where she used to wear mini-skirts. However, in devotion to Jamal Shah, she not only wore the burqa but also observed purdah, even traveling with him to Quetta while observing the veil. She acknowledged that one makes many compromises for love and out of respect for cultural norms. Intriguingly, she maintained that her relationship with her former in-laws remains so positive that they still message her daily.
Faryal Gohar confessed that she was “captivated by Jamal Shah’s dimples” and married him, only to later realize that love alone was insufficient for life. While she admitted that Jamal Shah was a disorganized person, she declined to share the full reasons for their divorce publicly, hinting that she might write a book about the experience.
Regarding her entry into the industry, the actress revealed that Jamal Shah himself introduced her to acting. However, his family was conservative and reacted strongly to her decision to act, even convening a ‘jirga’ (council) over the matter. She challenged her in-laws to question Jamal, who brought her into the field, but claimed that Jamal fled instead of answering. Faryal Gohar, whose own background was liberal, respected her in-laws’ system and eventually moved to the UK when Jamal received a scholarship there.
