In Mandalay, Myanmar, comedian and satirist Lu Maw entertains a small group of foreigners inside a modest garage. Comedy group The Moustache Brothers was led by Lu Maw’s elder brother Par Par Lay, whose satire about the Burmese junta cost him multiple detentions in jail during the Saffron revolution in 2007. He was ultimately incarcerated at the infamous Ching Krang Hka in the northern Kachin State.

Par Par Lay died in jail in 2013, but his brothers decided to take the regime head-on. Lu Maw and his cousin Lu Zau performed in Mandalay’s backstreets, criticising the military general and politician Than Shwe and his junta, even as the pro-democracy struggle raged on in the country. Today, the family openly critiques the junta and other authoritarian regimes around the world.

With his goatee, Lu Maw resembles the late Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.

Come evening, the garage turns into a small stage, with a wooden bed and a few plastic chairs making up the seating. The eight-member family troupe appears, comprising everyone from the elderly grandmother to the ten-year-old granddaughter. On the walls are photos of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi attending their show. The cheroot-smoking dance director says their primary focus is to continue celebrating Burmese culture, which he feels is slowly fading. Though famous across Myanmar, the family finds that locals still fear visiting them, owing to the crackdown under the previous regime. At 67, Lu Maw remains confident, he says the fight against autocratic regimes will go on.

Shome Basu is a Delhi-based freelance photographer

Homestead: The Moustache Brothers’ house forms the backdrop to their stage

Hard line: While they oppose other autocratic regimes, the troupe’s views on the Rohingya massacre echo those of the current government

Not at ease: The stage and sets are intentionally stark, underscoring the political nature of the satire

For freedom: The Moustache Brothers have performed in front of Aung San Suu Kyi’s residence, where crowds gathered in support during her house arrest

Dance for revolution: The satire is conducted through traditional Burmese dances performed by family members

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Fight the power: Locals are still scared to be seen in the company of The Moustache Brothers, the political satirists who rose to prominence during Myanmar’s struggle for democracy