Mumbai, Jan 24 (PTI) Superstar Salman Khan welcomed Katrina Kaif on stage during the finale of his show "Bigg Boss" and heaped praise on the actress by calling her "one of the strongest women" he has ever known.

Katrina, 32, was accompanied by actor Aditya Roy Kapur on the reality TV show to promote their upcoming romance "Fitoor". This was the second time that the actress appeared on Salman's show after her 2010 visit for the promotion of her comedy "Tees Maar Khan".

Though they were sharing the stage after a long time, the ex-couple's comfort level was evident. Be it Katrina's leg-pulling by Salman or her demure retorts, there was no awkwardness between them and they looked at ease with each other.

When Katrina told the "Bigg Boss Nau" finalists that if she were in their place, she would have been nervous and broken down in tears, Salman interrupted her saying, "Don't lie. You are one of the strongest women I have ever known.

"You were just 16-year-old when you came in the industry and reached so far. It is all your hard work, sheer hard work.

If God asks me to choose between talent and hard work, I will pick the latter."

Katrina quipped, "I also have talent, maybe a little," to which the 50-year-old star replied, "When one keeps working hard, the talent keeps increasing. The whole country is in awe of you, including me! So, obviously you are talented."

Salman's compliment left the actress blushing.

The "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" star also praised Katrina's dancing skills, referring to the slow, passionate song "Pashmina" from "Fitoor", where she is seen performing with Aditya. The two actors gave a sneak peek of their dance on the stage of "Bigg Boss".

"Fitoor", directed by Abhishek Kapoor, is touted as an intense love story and sticking to its theme, Salman asked Adtiya and Katrina to enact a romantic scene from the movie.

So impressed was Salman with the scene that he expressed his desire to do the same sequence with Katrina, which received a thunderous response from the audience.

Later, they were joined by director Abhishek and Tabu, who plays a pivotal character in the film, which is an adaptation of Charles Dicken's "Great Expectations". The movie releases on February 12.