A viral video of PM Narendra Modi gifting Melody toffees to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni revived the popular “Melodi” meme trend online.
Retail investors mistakenly bought shares of Parle Industries, thinking it was linked to Melody toffees, even though the actual maker, Parle Products, is an unlisted company.
The confusion pushed Parle Industries shares up nearly 5%, highlighting how viral social media trends can influence stock market behaviour.
On May 20, 2026, a video featuring a “Melody” moment between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went viral online. The clip unexpectedly triggered a frenzy on Dalal Street, sending shares of Parle Industries sharply higher for no real reason. The stock prices skyrocketed even though the company has no connection to Melody toffees.
The buzz began after a video from Modi’s Italy visit spread widely on social media. In the clip, Meloni says, “Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift, a very, very good toffee,” to which Modi replies, “Melody.” Meloni later posted the video with the caption, “Thank you for the gift.” The interaction quickly revived the already popular “Melodi” meme trend online, where users often joke about the chemistry between the two world leaders.
Soon after the video went viral, retail investors rushed to buy shares of Parle Industries. However, this is where things went wrong. The stock price of Parle Industries rose sharply even though the company is not the manufacturer of Melody toffees. The actual maker of Melody and Parle-G biscuits is Parle Products, which is an unlisted private company. Since Parle Products is not listed on the stock market, investors cannot buy its shares.
As a result, many investors turned to the similarly named Parle Industries instead. This confusion pushed Parle Industries shares up by nearly 5 percent by Thursday, May 21, 2026, repeatedly hitting the upper circuit. The stock rose to around Rs 5.51 despite there being no major business announcement, earnings update, new order, or expansion plan from the company.
The rally surprised many market observers because Parle Industries has nothing to do with the confectionery business. The company operates in infrastructure, real estate development, paper trading, and paper waste recycling. It is currently a subsidiary of Fortune Point Exports Private Limited.
Parle Products, meanwhile, remains one of India’s largest confectionery and biscuit makers, known for brands such as Melody, Parle-G, Monaco, KrackJack, Happy Happy, and Hide & Seek. The company is privately held and not listed on Indian stock exchanges.
Market experts say the episode shows how social media trends and viral attention can influence stock prices, especially in low-priced small-cap companies. Analysts believe the rally may have initially started due to confusion over the company name, but later turned into momentum trading as more retail investors joined in hoping prices would continue rising.
Meanwhile, Parle Products itself acknowledged the sudden global attention around Melody. Company Vice President Mayank Shah said the company was “completely taken by surprise” after Modi gifted Melody to Meloni.
“It was a pleasant surprise that came this morning. In fact, it's a moment of immense pride for all of us at Parle Products,” Shah told NDTV. He added that the brand had already started seeing increased traction across online and quick-commerce platforms after the video went viral.
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