By Ahana Bhattacharya

Mumbai, Apr 13 (IANS): Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik celebrates his 65th birthday on Tuesday. This year, the celebration is simple because Kaushik as well as his daughter Vanshika have recently recovered from Covid-19.

"I will celebrate my birthday at home. A lot of my friends have sent cakes. I'm looking forward to enjoying with my friends Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher virtually in the evening. My daughter, Vanshika, who also came out of Covid recently, hasn't allowed me to get into my media room. So, I think she is decorating it to give me a surprise," Kaushik told IANS.

Quizzed what present his daughter has given him, the actor-filmmaker smiled. "It's a surprise. I guess she'll give it to me during the cake-cutting ceremony. My staff at home has gifted me a copper bottle for drinking water in the morning," he replied.

"I tested negative on April 7. I am fine now and don't have any symptoms," he shared his health update.

Asked about his take on the current Covid situation in Maharashtra, which is witnessing huge numbers of positive cases during the ongoing second wave, Kaushik replied: "The situation is grim and has to be tackled aggressively. The second wave is more scary than the first. The worst thing about the current wave is that the virus is affecting children more. I have gone through some really tough days when Vanshika tested positive and I wish there are more paedriatic hospitals, beds, doctors and nurses to cure children suffering from Covid-19."

"Even the authorities need to take stricter actions to combat this wave. I request everyone to avoid stepping out of their homes unnecessarily, use masks and sanitise their hands," he added.