Zarganar

Maung Thura "Zarganar" (also called Zaganar, ဇာဂနာ; also Zargana, ); born 27 January 1961) is a popular Burmese comedian, film actor, and a film director as well as a fierce critic and often political prisoner of the Burmese military government. Known for his wicked puns against the government which is a military junta, Zarganar, whose name translates to "tweezers", is widely considered to be the most popular comedian and satirist in Myanmar.

Thura graduated from Yangon's elite State High School No. 1 Dagon in 1977 and received a degree in dental surgery from Rangoon Institute of Dental Medicine in 1985.

While in dentistry school, he worked as a volunteer literacy teacher in Chin State and wrote about his experiences in a book, published by the Sape Beikman, the country's official literary publishing house.

Thura first found success while still in college, performing amateur stage comedy shows at Yangon's universities under his stage name Zarganar (tweezers).

He banded together with students from various colleges and institutes and formed a dance-troupe called Mya Kyun Tha.

Later, he formed a drama group called Moe Nat Thuza which performed at student gatherings.

Zarganar soon became a household name when his troupe began appearing on Burmese television in broadcasts of anyeint (a type of traditional Burmese theater) shows.

After completing his dentistry studies, he took to the stage full-time.

In the mid-1980s, Zarganar and his comedians were the main draw to their anyeint shows.

People went to see the comedians first, and the pretty female performers second.

Today, anyeint shows are still nominally led by female performers but the comedians-cum-social commentators are what most people go to see.

In 1986, he formed the Mya Ponnama Anyeint troupe whose shows frequently appeared on television.

He quickly became known for his expert ability to concoct double entendres; his willingness to use them in farcical routines that highlighted the failures of the government delighted millions of awe-struck audiences.

That all changed in 1988, when Zarganar was arrested for participating in the nationwide 8888 uprising.

He would be in and out of prison for the next 5-6 years.

After his release from prison in 1994, Zarganar was prohibited from performing on stage but allowed to participate in video productions, working as producer, director, scriptwriter and actor.

But his work was closely scrutinized by the censors and military intelligence in a cat-and-mouse game in which Zarganar and his audiences took delight in sidestepping the authorities.

In 1997, Zarganar soon ran afoul with the authorities for his movie Lun, and was promptly banned for another three years from the show business.

He was allowed to do films in 2000 (but still no comedy shows or stage theater).

In September 2006, Zarganar was banned indefinitely from performing publicly or participating in any kind of entertainment related work.

Since May 2006, Zarganar has again been banned from the show business indefinitely, for giving an interview to the BBC.

Zarganar's contributions to the revival of popularity of anyeint (also spelled anyein) among the younger generations of Burmese cannot be overstated.

Anyeint shows are a form of traditional theater combining dance, music and comedy that have come to play a central role in Burmese society by being performed at a wide range of secular and religious events, from weddings to pagoda festivals.

The shows are traditionally led by one or more female performers who dance and sing playful songs, and a troupe of comedians (usually 4 or 5) provide comic relief in-between the song-and-dance routines of the female performers.

Before Zarganar came along, the popularity of anyeint shows had long been in decline (especially in urban areas).

Zarganar helped to revitalize the art by turning the format upside-down.

By using humor to push the envelope against government censors, his anyeint shows generated immense interest among Burmese of all backgrounds, and in the process attracted new generations of fans to anyeint shows.

Zarganar did not invent the art of using puns and double entendres, which had long been part of traditional Burmese humor but in many ways he perfected it in the Burmese language.

The tonal monosyllabic Burmese language with many homophones seemed particularly suited for double talk.

People were drawn to his vaudevillian routines filled with seemingly innocent silly banter among comedians not only because they were bitingly funny but also because they cleverly highlighted the failures of the government.

He was arrested on 4 June 2008 for speaking to foreign media about the situation of millions of people left homeless after a cyclone devastated the Irrawaddy Delta.

In November 2008, he was sentenced to 59 years in prison, convicted of "public order offenses", under four sections of the criminal code—17/2, 32 (b), 295 (a) and 505 (b), much more than the anticipated maximum of two years.

In October 2008, Zarganar was awarded One Humanity Award by PEN Canada of which he is an honorary member.

Zarganar was born Thura (MY သူရ,, also ) in Yangon to a political and intellectual family of well-known writers Hla Kyi (who went by the pen name of Yuwaddy Kyi Oo) and Aung Thein (pen name: Nan Nyunt Swe).

Thura is of Mon-Bamar descent.

Thura was the youngest of three sons, brother of Wunna and Teza.

The young Thura accompanied his parents on speaking tours where he used to entertain people by giving talks and doing imitations, and earned himself the nickname "Mimic".

On 16 February 2009, following the appeals by the family, Yangon Divisional Court reduced the prison sentence by "up to 24 years", bringing the sentence down to 35 years.

In December 2008, Zarganar has been sent to Myitkyina Prison in Kachin State in the country's far north, from which he was freed on 11 October 2011 in a mass amnesty of political prisoners.

Zarganar was awarded the Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett Award, given by the Fund for Free Expression, a committee organized by the New-York-based Human Rights Watch.