Sulekha Bajpai, the copywriter behind Melody Khao, Khud Jaan Jao, gets her sweet moment

Mumbai-based former advertising professional Sulekha Bajpai, who wrote the iconic lines for Melody chocolates -- melody khao khud jaan jao -- now viral thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifting Melody sweets to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni (the candy’s name hinting at a portmanteau of Meloni and Modi), says she feels both amused and strange about the spotlight suddenly falling on her.

Bajpai, who says she was then a junior writer with ad firm Everest Advertising, recalls agreeing on the line before walking into the office of its maker, Parle Products (not to be confused with Parle Industries), with senior colleague Haresh Moorjani. She remembers it happening sometime in 1988 or 1989, during her early years as a creative writer.

Bajpai, who currently works in films, recalls that the Melody advertisement helped Parle give “a stiff competition” to Cadbury’s Eclairs chocolate. “It was a David versus Goliath fight in which our lines made an impact,” she tells Open, emphasising that to capture the imagination of children -- the target audience for the chocolate, then priced at around Rs 1 -- they used magicians, pilots and such figures who typically held enormous appeal for kids.

Before switching to films, Bajpai worked with ‘Enterprise’ of ad guru Mohammed Khan, taking up challenging copywriting assignments for major companies like Procter & Gamble and others before joining Lintas, where she worked with the likes of Balki and handled writing for various products, including Pepsodent and Rin (Hindustan Lever).

Mohammed Khan says that Hindi writers were rare in advertising in those days – in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “Even when they existed, most were rather ordinary. Sulekha stood out as an exceptionally gifted copywriter,” he says. “At the time, we were handling campaigns for Procter & Gamble’s Whisper. Sulekha did some absolutely brilliant work for us. Initially, she herself did not realise how talented she was. But I could see it almost immediately.” Khan says he feels immensely proud of her achievements and the way she has continued to grow, including in the film space. She is currently a screenwriter who works in feature films.

It was Bajpai who coined the punchy “Dishoom Dishoom” catchphrase for Pepsodent, suggesting that the toothpaste could knock germs out and offer lasting protection. She also penned memorable lines for Rin, the detergent brand. “Sulekha is exceptionally talented,” says noted adman Prahlad Kakkar in an interview to Open. “She is low-key and unlike certain ad people who can be noisy and snobbish. She thinks and dreams in Hindi and has her finger on the pulse of the people. She is a wonderful writer and she has never once disappointed me.”

An MSc in biochemistry from Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas (GS) Medical College in Mumbai, Bajpai began her career in the advertising industry after completing a diploma in marketing and advertising. Raised in Bandra all her life, Bajpai says she had told her father that her interest lay not in biochemistry but in advertising.

The bilingual Bajpai, who has several awards to her credit, is also a poet. “A passion for work and lust for life defines the artist in me,” she tells Open. After switching careers, she worked as an assistant director for the Hindi film Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa, starring Tusshar Kapoor and Esha Deol; as a writer for Ram Gopal Varma’s Naach; script and dialogue writer for the animation film Hanuman; screenplay and dialogue writer for Isi Life Mein; and lyricist and screenplay writer for short films such as Udne Do and Khamakha. She tells Open that she is currently working with Sooraj Barjatya, a frequent collaborator of Salman Khan, on two of his upcoming films with the actor.

Filmmaker Kailash Surendranath, renowned for his television commercials, says he worked closely with Bajpai for many years and holds her work in high regard. “Though we worked together a long time ago, I still remember her as someone brimming with great ideas,” he says. “She was exceptionally good with Hindi dialogue. While she is highly accomplished in advertising, her talent has remained largely untapped in cinema.”

Bajpai is married to Nitin Karkare, whom she met while working at Everest in Mumbai, and the couple have two sons. Karkare, a veteran in advertising, is currently chairman of Ulka and executive director at Omnicom Advertising India.

Meanwhile, Bajpai finds herself inundated with messages and calls from friends and former colleagues. Many, she says, have been sharing mirth-filled, AI-generated Melody memes in the wake of the chocolate brand going viral.

In a larger context, the episode underscores the enduring power of advertising: how a memorable campaign can drive remarkable sales and generate goodwill for a product even four decades after it was conceived.