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Indians ship Modi-Meloni make-believe romance as G7 video goes viral
![Indians ship Modi-Meloni make-believe romance as G7 video goes viral Indians ship Modi-Meloni make-believe romance as G7 video goes viral](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/06/17/606d3950-878a-46d3-b60a-8597aca00bb0_01bc0b2d.jpg?itok=uLM2lPEV&v=1718587666)
“Hello from the ‘Melodi’ team”, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a video posted to social media on Saturday, waving next to her fellow right-wing leader Modi, beaming a wide grin.
He wrote he had meetings with Meloni to bolster ties “in areas like commerce, energy, defence, telecoms and more”.
But in India, it was the short Modi-Meloni video that grabbed attention on Sunday – fuelling a flurry of memes and videos on social media dedicated to the fictional relationship between the two leaders.
In that make-believe world, the leaders have become central characters of an internet love story that has betrayals and heartaches as well as happy moments.
AI-generated videos watched by millions show Modi crooning a love song every time Meloni appears with a political leader other than him.
But newspapers were also deeply critical and swift to cool temperatures down.
“Like other women in high offices, Meloni is being seen through a male prism – hot or not?” the Times of India’s editorial read.
“No matter how influential she is, no matter what she knows or becomes, a woman can always be subjected to such demeaning framing,” it added.
“As the Meloni discourse shows, old-fashioned misogyny dies hard.”