Team Melodi woos India as Meloni-Modi video goes viral

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Italy for the G7 summit, it was not his diplomatic meetings that made headlines in India, but rather his relationship with the Italian Prime Minister.

“Greetings from the 'Melodi' team,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a video shared on social media, waving alongside her right-wing counterpart Modi, both with broad smiles on their faces.

The two leaders enjoy a visible friendship, which was evident at previous events such as the G20 summit in India last year and the COP28 climate talks in Dubai.

Modi, who reposted Meloni's video and praised relations between Rome and New Delhi in Italian, was in Borgo Egnazia during the G7 summit attended by Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

He mentioned meetings with Meloni to improve relations “in areas such as trade, energy, defense, telecommunications and more.”

In India, however, it was the short Modi-Meloni video that grabbed the spotlight on Sunday, sparking a wave of memes and videos on social media depicting a fictional relationship between the two politicians.

In this fictional narrative, they have become central characters in an internet love story that includes betrayal, heartbreak, and joyful moments.

AI-generated videos viewed by millions humorously show Modi serenading Meloni every time he appears with another political leader.

Nevertheless, the newspapers quickly dampened their enthusiasm and criticized the situation.

“Like other women in high office, Meloni is seen through a male prism – hot or not?” says the Times of India editorial.

“No matter her influence or achievements, a woman can still be reduced to such degrading perspectives,” it continued.

“The discourse surrounding Meloni underlines that deep-rooted misogyny still exists.”