India, 10th September, 2026: To mark the launch of its new ‘Learn English from Punjabi’ course, Duolingo has rolled out its latest ‘Ullu Da Pattha’ campaign, giving a playful spin to one of the most iconic Punjabi phrases. Conceptualised by Talented & Calm Kaam, the campaign takes the familiar phrase and reinterprets it through the lens of Duolingo’s owl mascot, Duo, celebrating Duolingo learners as the “students of the owl”.
To bring the course to life, Talented looked beyond simply translating the proposition into Punjabi and instead rooted the campaign in the culture, humour and language of the region. At the centre of it is Ullu Da Pattha, a phrase deeply woven into Punjabi vernacular and typically used playfully to call someone a fool or a mischief-maker. The campaign reclaims a phrase that often begins as a casual reprimand from parents and elders and turns it into something you can aspire to become. What was once something you were called out for becomes a badge of sorts, with Duolingo turning it into a creative device for its entry into Punjab.
The films build on this spirit, bringing the proposition into distinctly Punjabi worlds and letting the culture, humour and absurdity of those situations drive the storytelling. From people arguing and celebrating to simply going about their everyday lives, English enters these recognisably Punjabi moments in unexpected ways. This gives Duo a very different role, taking on a more lovable and affable persona as he goes around Punjab and slowly turns more people into Ullu Da Patthas.
The brand films are now live across Duolingo’s social media channels. Watch the exciting films here:
Speaking on the campaign, Karandeep Singh Kapany, Regional Marketing Director, India and Southeast Asia, said, “Being able to launch this course in my mother tongue is incredibly meaningful and a moment of real pride for me,” said Karandeep Singh Kapany, Regional Marketing Director, India and Southeast Asia. “Punjabis have long embraced opportunities beyond borders, pursuing education, careers and new beginnings around the world. By making English learning available in Punjabi, we’re helping remove language barriers and enabling even more people to access the opportunities that English can unlock. This launch reflects our commitment to making high-quality education more accessible, inclusive and relevant for learners across South Asia and beyond.”
Ankush Sabharwal & Leena Gupta, Creatives at Talented, add, “Being called an ‘Ullu Da Pattha’ is a rite of passage if you grew up in a Punjabi household. We loved how naturally the phrase lent itself to Duo, and how it gave us an opportunity to show a different side of him. We’ve mostly seen him in his more unhinged avatars, so we wanted to make him lovable and affable, like this guy who has arrived in Punjab and is slowly building his community. There was something very funny about imagining Duo going around, winning people over and turning them into Ullu Da Patthas. It felt like a very natural way for him to find his place in Punjab.”
Anant Sharma, Director, said, “Working with Duo, both the brand and the mascot, was tons of fun. The whacky, silly humour, combined with Duo’s signature snark, makes you love the brand even more, especially when placed in typically Punjabi contexts. I’m super excited to see the response from Punjabis, hoping that they find a representation of our culture in these quick, fun snippets!”
The films were produced by Bushra Shariff’s Calm Kaam.
The new course builds on Duolingo’s continued investment in regional language education, following the introduction of English courses for Hindi, Bangla, Telugu and Tamil speakers. With Punjabi joining its growing portfolio of regional language offerings, Duolingo continues to make English learning more accessible for Punjabi-speaking learners in India and around the world, helping more people unlock opportunities in education, work and beyond.
The ‘Learn English from Punjabi’ course is now available on the Duolingo app.
About Duolingo
Duolingo (www.duolingo.com) is the most popular mobile learning platform and the most downloaded education app worldwide. The app makes learning new languages, math, music, and chess fun with bite-sized lessons that feel like playing a game. The company’s mission is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. Duolingo offers lessons in music, math, chess, and language with over 250 total language courses from English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese to Navajo and Yiddish.
