Artist Pradeep Verma had a surprise celeb visitor at his exhibition of his paintings titled "Buddham Sharanam Gacchami" at Suchitra Art Gallery, Bandra, recently.

The art aficionados who had dropped in were also equally surprised when superstar Salman Khan walked in with his family. The entire Khan clan was there, including Malaika Arora, Alvira, Seema and niece Alizeh.

Salman was very appreciative of the paintings and was overheard discussing the same with his family members and Verma. He also spoke in length about the inspiration behind his own paintings and his favourite colours and concepts in art.

In trademark Salman style, the actor also joked with his niece who was busy collecting mushrooms: "Baccha, you need to adore the paintings and not the mushrooms!"

The other celebrities who attended the art display were Suchitra Pillai, Nethra and Ash Chandler, and Niharika Khan. Verma seemed very pleased with the support and appreciation he received from all quarters.

He said: "It was a pleasant surprise to have Salman Khan drop in at the exhibition. He understands art, since there is an artist inside him, too."

When asked about his inspiration behind the theme "Buddham Sharanam Gacchami", Verma explained: "Buddha, the enlightened one, lived a life of austerity. This realization made me discover the path of meditation. I hope my artworks soothe the mind and help people discover the gentle state of inner peace."

As of now, happier than Verma is Gautam Khatri, the owner of Suchitrra Art Gallery, who was grinning ear to ear for the success of the exhibition.