Renowned Pakistani poet, painter, professor and actor Shahnawaz Zaidi has opened up about the death of his first wife, their 37-year marriage and his decision to marry for a second time.

Shahnawaz Zaidi recently appeared as a guest on a morning show, where he spoke about his love marriage and various aspects of his personal life.

Speaking about his first marriage, he said that his marriage lasted for 37 years. He had hoped to celebrate his golden wedding anniversary with his wife, but that was not to be.

The actor said he was naturally romantic and fell in love with his wife at first sight, which led him to marry at a young age.

According to Shahnawaz Zaidi, the early years of their marriage were filled with love and attraction, but the realities of life eventually emerged. The couple also faced various family and social differences, including Shia-Sunni, Punjabi-Urdu and Syed-Rajput differences.

He said he was 24 when he got married. Although his family was relatively liberal-minded, they initially had some reservations about his decision, but eventually accepted his choice.

Recalling his wife’s illness, Shahnawaz Zaidi said that before their marriage, his wife called him in tears and told him that she had diabetes and that he should think carefully before going ahead with the marriage. Her mother also suffered from diabetes.

Shahnawaz Zaidi said he has six children, while his first two pregnancies ended in miscarriages. He later received a job offer in Nairobi and moved there with his wife. He spent around eight years in Nairobi, where all of his children were born.

He said the climate, medical facilities and excellent care his wife received in Nairobi proved to be a blessing from Allah, as she had to spend considerable time in hospital during her pregnancies.

Speaking about his second marriage, Shahnawaz Zaidi said, “It was the most difficult phase of my life, and I had never thought about getting married again.”

He said he remarried four years after his first wife’s death. During that period, he felt detached from life and emotionally overwhelmed. Although he continued to work and fulfill his responsibilities, he said he was falling apart internally and was suffering from depression.

Shahnawaz Zaidi said that it was during this time that the idea of remarriage came to his mind. However, there was no one in his life at the time. Later, he met an Iranian woman who was considerably younger than him.

He said he initially did not believe the relationship would be possible. Even when the thought of marriage crossed his mind, he would dismiss it. However, they eventually fell in love and got married.

According to Shahnawaz Zaidi, it has now been 10 years since his second marriage.

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