Stand-up comedian Mervyn Rozz
| Photo Credit: Thamodharan B, Location: Punch, Alwarpet
The hero’s best friend is a standard role in cinema. He sticks around with the protagonists in many key moments, be it pursuing his love interest or brokering peace with his parents. But the friend rarely has agency of his own.
In the Tamil stand-up comic scene, Mervyn Rozz was that friend for a long time. He would open acts for other comics. He would be part of an ensemble comic starcast. He would also sometimes team up with other comics to create content.
Till June 2023 – when he branched out of his own with Moving On, his first solo show. Based on his life experiences, this hit stage show, now available on YouTube, dealt with a lot of ups and downs in his growing-up years, from his school and college days.
And then, Mervyn moved on. His latest is On Arrival, in which he shares funny incidents from his travels across Australia, the UK and Europe. “For someone from a background who takes up traditional jobs, stand-up comedy is a starkly different profession. Once we chose that path, it takes us to different countries, like it did in my case. It threw up wonderful experiences, and gave me a peek into different cultures. A sum total of all that is On Arrival,”says Mervyn, whose early inspirations were popular comedians Zakir Khan, Kenny Sebastian, Daniel Fernandes and Azeem Banatwalla.
Stand-up comedian Mervyn Rozz during the sidelines of his latest comedy special, ‘On Arrival’
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B, Location: Punch, Alwarpet
Content is king
A lot of Mervyn’s content revolves around himself and his experiences. So, what is the biggest misconception about stand-up comics? “People think we are the same person off stage too. Take an action hero, for instance. He might actually be a low-key person in real life, but his work requires him to look and act macho. Stand-up comics are similar to that; we are not extraordinarily funny in real life. There is also a misconception that we turn everything we see into content,” he smiles.
Mervyn believes that anyone can become a stand-up comedian. “Yes, it is possible. But there are no teachers. Nor is there a need for you to get someone to give you an opportunity. If you put out a video today and people find it funny, you can do the same in front of a crowd tomorrow.”
It is also a profession that can pay the bills and more, he adds. “Gone are the days when comedians used to lament about a lack of patronage. Today, there are many avenues, like public and corporate shows. In one show, a popular stand-up comic can make what a fresher in an IT company earns in a year,” says Mervyn, who also foresees a future when comics will incorporate brand names even during live performances for more revenue.
Mervyn exists in a scene that has comedians with multiple talents. While Alexander Babu and Jagan Krishnan mix music with humour, Ramkumar aka Annachi targets the IT crowd. Other comics like Dr Pal combine aspects of health and humour. Does this add pressure on him? “It is true,” he says candidly, “If someone who knows magic can combine that aspect with humour, it is a great combination… because then, children and families too become your audiences. But I know my limitations and have to work around that. Through my journey, I hope to find my niche.”
On Arrival will be performed in Coimbatore and Chennai on October 4 and 5 respectively at Medai – The Stage
Published – October 01, 2025 08:30 am IST
