Zomato recently announced the launch of its Chennai anthem, a music video created in collaboration with regional rap artist Paal Dabba, celebrating the city's distinct culture, energy and everyday spirit. Titled Veppam is our weapon (Heat is our weapon), the anthem is Zomato's tribute to Chennai's ability to turn pressure and heat, quite literally and otherwise, into fuel for resilience.

Chennai's relationship with heat, from its scorching summers to its famously fiery food became the anchor for the campaign. The song and its visuals lean into local references, language and imagery that Chennai audiences will immediately recognise as their own, from the cadence of the lyrics to the settings used in the video.

"The inspiration for the anthem came straight off Chennai's streets. I wanted the track to carry that same heat and rhythm, so a lot of the references and even the slang are things I've grown up hearing. It's less a song I wrote and more a song this city already had in it, I just put it down on paper," said Paal Dabba.

The creative process involved close collaboration with Paal Dabba on both the writing and the visual treatment, ensuring the anthem reflects an authentic, on-ground reading of the city rather than an outside interpretation of it.