Golshifteh is the daughter of director Behzad Farahani and the sister of actress Shaghayegh Farahani.

The actress is banned from entering her homeland, Iran, due to appearing in foreign films without a hijab and nude photos for French magazines.

In February 2008, Farahani was invited to London along with Gemma Arterton to audition for the role of Tamina, but was arrested at the airport by Iranian authorities because of her involvement in Ridley Scott's film Body of Lies (2008). As a result, the actress was banned from leaving the country for six months.