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.

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.

[10] 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".

[11] 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.

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.

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.

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.

(His father, also a political activist, at one point gave a speech at the home of Aung San Suu Kyi, leading to a ban by the state censors.

In 1991, the Fund for Free Expression, part of the Human Rights Watch organization, awarded him a Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett Grant.

[13] Soon after Cyclone Nargis devastated vast swaths of the Irrawaddy Delta in early May 2008, Zarganar organized a group of an estimated 400 Burmese involved in the entertainment industry to provide volunteer disaster relief aid in the cyclone-damaged areas.

[15] In February 2012, Zarganar travelled to Washington, D.C., to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and discuss the ongoing issue of political prisoners, women’s rights, and the situation of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities with the country’s senior officials.

In May 2011, Zarganar was awarded Honorary Life Membership in Equity, the UK performers' union, in recognition of his struggle for artistic freedom in Burma.

[30] On 27 March 2012, Zarganar received the Prince Claus Fund Award, handed over by Dutch ambassador Joan Boers during a historic Aneyint event in the People's Square in Yangon.