New Delhi, 9 Nov

Bollywood star Salman Khan called ‘Bigg Boss 19’ contestant Gaurav Khanna a "superstar", adding he is popular on television and even his mother, Salma Khan, has watched the actor's shows.

Salman praised the ‘Anupamaa’ actor after contestant Farhana Bhat called out Gaurav on the reality show, questioning his popularity.

In an earlier episode of the show, Farhana said, "Who are you? TV ke superstar? Neither Tanya (Mittal) nor I have ever seen you in any show", adding she will never do television.

During the ‘Weekend Ka Vaar’ episode on Saturday, Salman went on to defend Gaurav and said he himself has watched his shows.

"Farhana, if you haven’t watched Gaurav’s shows, then you’re ignorant; he’s very popular on television. I’ve seen his shows, and even my mother has watched them. In which world do you live?" he said.

"And if he says he’s a superstar and you deny it, then let me tell you, he is a superstar. His fans made him one; he has never claimed it himself," Salman added.

Gaurav has had an illustrious career with shows like ‘Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam’ alongside Yami Gautam and, more recently, the hit show ‘Anupamaa’, where he essayed the role of Anuj Kapadia.

Salman also praised the television actor for his patience and how gracefully he handled Farhana's comments.

"For the past 20 years, this man has been working tirelessly every single day, 18 hours a day, and yet he responded to you in a dignified way, even though you didn’t stop provoking him. He never got personal with you. I swear to God, even if I were in the house, I wouldn’t have handled it as gracefully as Gaurav did. I wouldn’t have let anyone speak to me like that about my career or family," he said.