Pankaj Tripathi tackles a 276-million problem for Dulcoflex

Dulcoflex Liquid is taking constipation out of the punchline zone and into the workplace. Opella has rolled out its #1SmartSolution campaign with Pankaj Tripathi, created by McCann India. The film centres on three concerns that usually stay unspoken — bloating, straining and hard stools — and answers them with one product promise.

In the film, Tripathi plays a friendly boss in conversation with a reportee. That casting matters: instead of a clinical expert or a comic sufferer, the brand uses a familiar, trusted face to make an awkward topic feel ordinary. The product itself is positioned simply: a 150 ml pack priced at Rs 150, with a fennel flavour and what the brand calls a twin-power formula.

01 · Why the brand is opening the conversation

Nupur Gurbaxani, head of brand & innovation at Opella (India), explains the scale behind the campaign: “Constipation impacts 276 million Indians daily. However, one third of those affected never seek help, and almost half rely on ineffective home remedies.”

Those numbers reveal a category paradox. Constipation is common but hidden. Gurbaxani says the category has long used it as a joke, which downplays real suffering. Opella’s stated role is to move beyond an effective product and make the condition easier to talk about, using empathy and relatability rather than ridicule.

02 · How McCann India kept the balance

Saksham Kohli, executive vice president at McCann India, frames the brief as making constipation “lighter and more relatable without trivializing the problem.” The agency built the story around the camaraderie between a boss and his reportee, letting Tripathi’s warmth carry the humour.

The creative structure is simple: constipation brings more than one problem, so Dulcoflex Liquid offers “One Smart Solution.” It is a classic benefit compression — three symptoms, one response — made watchable by the office dynamic.

03 · What brand leaders should borrow

• Start with the real symptom burden, not the product.
• Use a warm, familiar ambassador to normalise an awkward condition.
• Keep the pack size and price visible to make trial feel easy.

Himanshu Bakshi, managing director at Sanofi Consumer Healthcare India, adds that self-care should be “radically simple.” That belief shows up in the product and the price: a clear dose, a palatable flavour and an accessible pack. For CMOs, the campaign is a useful template for stigma-adjacent categories. It names the struggle honestly, then removes friction from the solution.

The real test will be whether the conversation continues beyond the film. For now, Dulcoflex Liquid has given Indian marketers a clean case study in pairing empathy with humour — without making the sufferer the joke.

Source: Afaqs!

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.