“This was really big for us. Grateful to our Prime Minister. I think this is also a nice way of pushing Indian products and, probably, giving them a global stage,” Mayank Shah, Vice President at the Mumbai-based confectionery giant, said in a conversation with CNBC-TV18 soon after.
The surprise for Melody maker came on Wednesday when the Italian Prime Minister shared the video on Instagram with the caption, “Thank you for the gift.”
In the clip, Meloni is holding up the packet of Melody toffees and saying with a smile, “Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift…a very, very good toffee.”
Responding to her, PM Modi said, “Melody,” as both leaders laughed and showed the packet to the camera.
The gesture was also a hat tip to an internet meme called ‘Melodi’, which combines parts of their surnames and celebrates the perceived chemistry between the two world leaders, in sharp contrast to the formal tone of international diplomacy.
Thank you for the gift pic.twitter.com/7ePxbJwPbA
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) May 20, 2026
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The meme gained traction in 2023 after Meloni posted selfies and short videos with Modi during international events such as
the COP28 summit in Dubai and the G20 Summit.
Social media users, particularly on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, began circulating edited clips, fan-style montages, and humorous captions portraying the two leaders as an unusually charismatic diplomatic duo.
It’s not the first time that the two leaders have acknowledged the humour in the meme. During the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in 2023, the Italian leader shared a cheerful selfie with PM Modi on Instagram, along with the hashtag #Melodi.
However, it was the first time the brand Melody was directly included into the joke. Melody was launched in India the late 1970s.
It became famous for its distinctive combination: a soft caramel exterior with a chocolate-filled center — a format that competed with products like Cadbury Eclairs but developed its own identity.
‘Melody khao, khud jaan jao’ (eat melody and find out yourself), a phrase from one of the jingles used the brand’s ad has become part of the country’s pop culture and public memory to this day.
The latest push is likely to act as a springboard for the brand even in international markets. “Italy should be the next big market,” Shah said, while highlighting the fact that the brand is already available in over 100 countries.
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(Edited by : Sriram Iyer)
First Published: May 20, 2026 1:35 PM IST
