New Delhi: If 1980s kitsch has made a comeback, so has khich-khich. In a recent EDM concert, DJ and producer Nucleya remixed the over 40-year-old “Vicks ki Goli Lo, Khich Khich Door Karo” jingle with electronic beats. It instantly turned the cough-drop earworm into a nostalgia banger that had the crowd singing along.
The video was originally posted by Nucleya on May 9, but the clip has gone viral nearly a month later, grabbing fans’ attention across social media.
“The OG soundtrack of every Indian childhood just got an upgrade,” commented the Instagram handle of Vicks India.
Nucleya’s original Reel now has over 400 comments. “A khich-khich banger,” wrote one. “This is going to be a flu anthem soon,” said another, while a third declared, “khich-khich is now cleared.” One even put in a request: “Make one for Fevicol.”
The original “Vicks Ki Goli Lo, Khich Khich Door Karo” ad first aired on Doordarshan in 1982 and remains one of India’s most memorable television jingles. The lyrics were written by Pandit Vinod Sharma, the Hindi copywriter at agency Ogilvy, Benson & Mather, while the commercial was directed by Suraj Rai. It featured actor Jayant Kripalani and child artist Ishita Arun as a father and daughter, with music by Suresh Mullick, the agency’s national creative director.
A few years ago, Sambalpuri singer Santanu Sahu also released a cover of the song.
Nucleya is not the first artist to turn old advertising tunes and soundbytes into viral content. Music producer Yashraj Mukhate has previously remixed several popular advertisements, television dialogues, and jingles. In June 2023, PepsiCo’s Uncle Chipps collaborated with Mukhate to revive its 1990s jingle “Bole Mere Lips, I Love Uncle Chipps” in a new rendition. The classic “Washing Powder Nirma” jingle, too, has had its own revivals by independent artists across languages.
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Who is Nucleya?
Nucleya, whose real name is Udyan Sagar, is one of India’s best-known electronic music producers. He co-founded Bandish Projekt—which focused on electronica with Indian elements— in the late 1990s before building a solo career under the name Nucleya. He later collaborated with Ritviz on the 2021 EP Baaraat.
He has also served as a judge on MTV Hustle, and has opened for international artists such as Skrillex, Major Lazer, DJ Snake, and Krewella.
His film work includes the Patli Galli remix for Short Kut (2009), Let’s Nacho for Kapoor & Sons (2016), Paintra from Mukkabaaz (2017), and Bakar Bakar from the Hindi dub of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Nucleya’s track Jungle Raja (2015), created with Divine, won Best Electronica Single at the Global Indian Music Awards.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)