Gas-O-Fast ropes in Rakesh Bedi for new ad campaign

MUMBAI: Some meals end with dessert. Others end with regret and apparently, Rakesh Bedi. Mankind Pharma has brought veteran actor and comedy favourite Rakesh Bedi on board as the face of Gas-O-Fast, its Ayurvedic antacid brand, in a new campaign that turns India’s collective overeating habit into the punchline. The new ad film leans heavily into Bedi’s trademark comic timing and his recent resurgence in meme culture to position Gas-O-Fast not as a stern health reminder, but as a cheerful companion for post-food consequences.

At the centre of the campaign sits a deeply relatable Indian truth: nobody is actually planning to stop eating the food they love.

That idea powers the campaign’s new positioning Khana banane ka nahi, pachane ka solution shifting the conversation away from restraint and towards recovery. Instead of guilt-tripping consumers about indulgence, the film embraces the inevitability of second servings, festive binges and late-night snacks with a wink.

And in Bedi, the brand may have found the perfect face for that tone.

“Indians have always had a complicated relationship with food. We celebrate with it, we bond over it and we absolutely refuse to hold back,” said Mankind Consumers Products vice president and head of sales and marketing Joy Chatterjee.

The campaign also reinforces Gas-O-Fast’s Ayurvedic positioning in a market crowded with synthetic antacids. The brand’s formulation is built around jeera, or cumin, a traditional Indian digestive remedy delivered in a fizzy, quick-relief format designed for modern consumption habits.

Beyond the humour, the numbers suggest the brand’s strategy is already working.

According to IQVIA data, Gas-O-Fast has crossed Rs 200 crore in revenue and now commands roughly 12 per cent share of India’s antacid market. Its strongest performance comes from regional markets where digestive remedies remain deeply rooted in household habits, including West Bengal with 27 per cent market share, Uttar Pradesh at 20 per cent, Haryana at 19 per cent and Punjab at 16 per cent.

The choice of Bedi also reflects a broader advertising trend where brands are increasingly tapping nostalgia-driven personalities who resonate across generations. Older audiences know him from decades of television and film comedy, while younger viewers have rediscovered him through social media clips, memes and viral internet humour.

The result is a campaign that feels less like a health advisory and more like an inside joke shared after one plate too many.

Because in India, overeating may be unavoidable but apparently, so is having an opinion on digestion afterwards.