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When we catch up with stand-up comedian Ramkumar Natarajan, the first instinct is to call him ‘Annachi’, a moniker that has now quietly overtaken his real identity. We point this out to him, and he cracks up. “In fact, most people today know me only as Annachi. Sometimes they speak to me for half an hour and then ask, ‘Bro, what is your real name?’”
The IT professional-turned-stand-up comedian is today one of the most sought-after names in the Tamil comedy circuit, with his distinct Tirunelveli dialect adding extra seasoning to his sets. Most of his humour comes from his experience in the IT industry, where managers, stand-up meetings and corporate chaos are routinely promoted to full-time punchlines, evoking a déjà vu among audiences.
And now, the comic is back with his sophomore outing, Retired Not Hurt. “Alt + Tab Life of Ram was my first stand-up special, where I spoke about my physical transformation along with my IT journey. I shared the key turning points in my life, including quitting smoking, and getting into fitness and yoga. Retired Not Hurt explores my post-IT life. Until 2022, I was working in IT while moonlighting as a stand-up comedian, and I have now been a full-time comedian for the past three years. The show covers the decision to leave a stable IT career for comedy. More recently, I have been exploring meditation and how it has shifted my perspective. If I had to sum it up, Life of Ram was about physical transformation, while Retired Not Hurt is about mental transformation. The first show is on June 13 in Chennai. I will be performing in Coimbatore and Bangalore as well and then taking it to more cities after that.”
So, what inspired his material the most? “I still keep my IT life as a reference point in my comedy because nearly 60–70 per cent of my audience comes from an IT background. Initially, I thought Retired Not Hurt would mainly focus on post-retirement life. But everything changed after I attended Vipassana meditation. You know the process: no gadgets, no distractions, just you and your thoughts. In that space, I started noticing patterns in my mental journey and the mistakes I had made over time. That shifted the entire direction of the material.
Moreover, I travelled quite a bit recently. I went to Uttar Pradesh for a shoot and later to Tenkasi. I also met many Tamil people in the US and Canada, interacted with different audiences, and had conversations that naturally fed into the writing. My previous special took a long time, but this time, I was able to wrap up within five to six months.”
Apart from the new show, Ramkumar’s yet another avatar in veshti-sattai, with vibhuti on his forehead, casually breaking down yesteryear cricket matches, has taken the internet by storm. What sparked this new innings? “I stopped following cricket regularly after Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement in 2013. But before that, cricket was a huge part of my life. I enjoyed everything about it, watching matches, following statistics, discussing games with friends, and reliving every moment through highlights.
Recently, while reflecting on different phases of my life, I realised just how much joy cricket had given me over the years. That is when I decided to start talking about it again. I revisit games from the late ’90s, as it is a nostalgic space where people from my generation can come together, remember those iconic moments and relive them. So far, I have spoken about five matches, and I still have another 15 to 20 classic games that I want to cover.”
At a time when calling someone a ‘boomer’ (old-fashioned) can drive people up the wall, Ramkumar has oddly made the term sound cool with his nonchalance towards it. How did he manage to pull that off? “When I was working in IT, I often had to manage people from a younger generation, and there was a clear generational gap. That is when I started joking about ‘boomer managers’ and playfully countering that mindset. Slowly, I began identifying with the term myself and started owning it in a humorous way. In fact, many people in the comments section would say, ‘You talk exactly like a boomer.’ Instead of resisting it, I chose to embrace that identity. Once you accept yourself as a ‘boomer’, there is a certain freedom that comes with it.”
So, what made him leave a 16-year-long career in IT and step into comedy, that too in the thick of a pandemic? “Leaving IT was not a sudden decision. I was handling a team working on collaboration platforms. During COVID, these tools became critical as almost every business moved to remote working, and it was a high-pressure role.
Alongside this, I had started creating sketch content from home and gradually realised that my interest was shifting toward creativity. So instead of making an abrupt exit, I first moved into a lower-profile role that gave me a bit more breathing space. I took a significant pay cut, gave up the incentives and bonuses that came with my earlier high-demand tech role. During those six months, opportunities in comedy also began to grow. I started getting stage shows and corporate events, and I was juggling office meetings with performances.
Eventually, my wife and I had a serious discussion, and we decided to give ourselves a two-year window to explore comedy fully, with the understanding that IT would always be there as a fallback option. It was a gradual process of planning, reflection and preparation over one-and-a-half years.”
Today, Tamil stand-up comedians have almost equal visibility as English comedians. What does he think has driven that change? “Across India, comedy has been growing in different languages. In Tamil, I think we started a bit earlier. For example, Praveen Kumar was one of the first to do a full Tamil stand-up special. Then there was a collective like Tanglish Comedy that pushed the idea of performing stand-up in Tamil instead of only English.
By 2014–15, people like Praveen Kumar had already released full Tamil specials, giving us an early-mover advantage. Later, performers like Jagan Krishnan and others contributed, and the ecosystem kept expanding. Comedians like Alexander Babu also experimented with blending Tamil cinema references into structured stand-up and moved towards a 50–50 format with Tamil becoming a key part. Today, if Tamil is removed, the connection weakens significantly, since language, culture and references are central to the experience.”
Ramkumar might proudly wear the hat of putting the Tirunelveli dialect on the comedy map, but his journey began in English. “Yes! During my IT days, I used to host office events, humorous speech contests and corporate programmes. So when I first tried stand-up, I started in English. A friend encouraged me to pursue it seriously, but I bombed badly. After about six months, he pushed me to try again in Tamil. This time around, I felt more natural, more expressive and more like myself.
I still did a few English corporate gigs because they paid well, but I never felt fully connected. I depend heavily on audience energy, and Tamil gave me a far stronger response. Even spontaneous interactions became easier, because I could use local references, slang and emotion. Eventually, I made a decision to focus only on Tamil and Tanglish.
That is also how the Tirunelveli dialect became my identity, especially through IT-based humour. The contrast of strong Tirunelveli slang in corporate situations made it instantly relatable. During the lockdown I made sketch videos and a parody of a food blogger reviewing a petrol bunk. That led to a 30-second reel of a Tirunelveli Annachi as an IT manager, which went viral. Friends encouraged me, and a branding consultant advised me to stay consistent with one concept for weeks. I followed that while still working in IT, posting an Annachi in IT reel for nearly a year. That consistency built the identity.”
Since most of his jokes draw from his IT experience, what do his former colleagues have to say about it? “Oh, they watch everything! In fact, many of them jokingly message me saying, “I know this character is about me!” A lot of my former managers still ping me on LinkedIn and WhatsApp whenever they watch my reels or shows. But to be honest, none of the characters are based on just one person. They’re usually a mix of different managers, teammates, and workplace experiences I’ve had over the years.
Even now, many of my friends working in IT actively give me inputs and ideas. Whenever there’s a trending office topic or a workplace issue, I call them and ask what’s happening in their companies. Those conversations often become material for my content. They regularly watch my reels, come to my live shows, and continue supporting my work.”
Beyond IT, director Gautham Vasudev Menon often makes a recurring appearance in his jokes. Is he a fan? “Of course! I might have been in 11th or 12th grade when I watched Minnale around 50 times. But at the same time, there’s a huge difference in how those stories connect with different people. The way a boy in a city and in Tirunelveli experiences those stories are very different. I always found that contrast interesting. I enjoyed those GVM movies not just as films, but almost like reflections of a life I was living vicariously.”
And now, the GVM fan himself has stepped into a new frame as he gears up for his acting debut in Moonwalk. “I was never keen on acting. Even when I started getting a couple of opportunities, I was still prioritising my stand-up tours above everything else. This role came through Manoj Sreedharan, who is also the director and producer of the film.
He explained that it is a unique character, a bit strange, unconventional, and present throughout the film from beginning to end. He also mentioned something interesting, that my natural way of speaking, the same tone I carry everywhere, suited the character. In fact, he specifically told me not to change it. That itself made it a different kind of role in a fantasy genre film.”
And how was the experience facing the arc lights? “I enjoyed it. Moving from stage to camera was challenging, but the director made me comfortable. He asked me to rehearse two or three times and ensured I stayed relaxed throughout. Even Prabhu Deva was on set and had a couple of scenes. He was extremely sweet and easygoing with everyone. The whole atmosphere was friendly, with no pressure or unnecessary takes, just a collaborative space where people were giving suggestions and enjoying the process.”
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