Državni posao

Državni posao
Format	Comedy
Directed by	Stojče Stoleski
Starring	Dimitrije Banjac Nikola Škorić Dejan Ćirjaković
Country of origin	Serbia
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	276
Production
Running time	About 10 minutesc
Broadcast
Original channel	Radio Television of Vojvodina
Picture format	16:9
Original run	August, 2012 – present

Državni posao is a Serbian television comedy show starring Dimitrije Banjac, Nikola Škorić and Dejan Ćirjaković. They are also authors of the show. The show began airing in August 2012. It is one of the most-watched TV shows and TV programmes of the Radio Television of Vojvodina.

Synopsis

The show has the format of a chamber play with each episode depicting another work day at the archive department of an unnamed state-owned company in Novi Sad. Torbica, Boškić and Čvarkov are fellow employees sharing the same office.^[1]

They are often talking and discussing the current events in the country including sports, entertainment, films, TV series, and politics.^[2]

Characters

Đorđe Čvarkov

Đorđe Čvarkov is the main archivist in the office. With only four years left before becoming eligible for retirement, he spent most of his career at the company, though prior to working at the archive department, he used to be the company's chief financial officer under the CEO term of his good friend Marjanović. However, both got removed from their posts and demoted in 1988 in the midst of the so-called Yogurt Revolution. Still embittered about this all these years later, Čvarkov feels he was the victim of a political witch hunt while some others in the company seem to feel that he more-or-less got what he deserved since he and CEO Marjanović were apparently known to engage in some shady business practices such as nepotism in the hiring process or signing damaging contracts on company's behalf. In the years since their removal, Čvarkov's and Marjanović's friendship soured and they're currently not on speaking terms due to Čvarkov apparently not being discreet about Marjanović's womanizing in front of Marjanović's wife. Čvarkov detests the current CEO Dobrosavljev.

Quite a ladies man himself in his youth (according to his own account), Čvarkov is now divorced after being married to a woman with last name Bugarski. He lives with his grandmother at Pejićevi Salaši, a suburban hamlet on the outer city limits of Novi Sad, where they run a poultry farming operation, raising and selling small roosters. Being a good source of supplemental income, Čvarkov's private rooster operation often overlaps with his work at the company since he frequently uses company's time and resources when setting up deals with potential customers. Also living with them at the house is grandmother's close friend Frau Šilovička, a very old, Vienna-educated lady who remembers the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Čvarkov moved her there from her centrally-located Novi Sad apartment, which he now leases out and collects the rent.

A proud local booster of Bačka and Vojvodina, Čvarkov is often complaining about the contemporary times. Considering himself and those like him to be a culturally autochthonous part in the fabric of Vojvodina, he frequently displays disdain for "dođoši", first and second generation newcomers. Furthermore, he dislikes Belgrade and isn't too keen even on other parts of Vojvodina outside of Bačka, such as Banat. In addition to being an admirer of the k. und k. and Mitteleuropa cultural values, he is known as a devotee of Josip Broz Tito and communist period in Yugoslavia.^[3] He often brings up Živan Berisavljević and Boško Krunić, top communist politicians from the Vojvodina provincial leadership who got removed during Yogurt Revolution, in positive light, considering them to be exemplary leaders and individuals. Feeling cultural superiority over the people from other parts of former Yugoslavia, Čvarkov only makes an exception when it comes to Slovenians whom he genuinely admires and respects.

Many of his stories revolve around his grandmother, Frau Šilovička, and his drunken friend Žika who hails from Majdanpek, all of whom are unseen characters.

Dragan Torbica

Dragan Torbica, a Bosnian Serb from an unnamed village in Krajina region, is Čvarkov's deputy.

Growing up in rural surroundings, he left his home to go to Sarajevo for high school studies. Already a veteran of various youth work actions such as 1971's Užice-Sevojno stage of the Belgrade–Bar railway, rather than continuing on to university or college after high school graduation, he immediately entered the workforce, spending time in a series of low-skilled labour jobs. Among others: metallurgical plant Pobeda in Belgrade and two years in SR Slovenia doing road construction.

Torbica eventually ended up in Novi Sad where he got a job as a driver at the company, often acting as personal chauffeur to the upper management which at the time consisted of Čvarkov and Marjanović. In time he moved up to the desk job as Čvarkov's second-in-command at the archive department. Though on surface he and Čvarkov share an antagonistic business and personal relationship with digs and borderline insults flying back and forth, they also have a bit of a friendship and are known to socialize outside of work. At first glance, Čvarkov considers Torbica to be an uncultured and boorish peasant from Bosnia, completely incompatible with the Vojvodina cultural model the way Čvarkov sees that model to be while Torbica sees Čvarkov as an irrelevant and pompous wannabe covering up his own insecurities by hiding behind someone else's culture. Most of the time, though, they manage to find enough common ground either via being from the same generation or through mutual financial interest.

Torbica participated in the Yugoslav Wars during the 1990s. He was an ardent supporter of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) political party and its leader Vuk Drašković and an active participant in the 9 March 1991 protests in Belgrade.

Currently, he is living with his wife Smiljka and their three children in a studio apartment in Novi Sad his father-in-law bought them, which makes Torbica feel emasculated. He's also paying off an unspecified bank loan, which he frequently whines and complains about. During the show, he is showing his love for his homeland. He is a big "enemy" with Čvarkov.

Boškić

Boškić, a recent hire without much work experience, came to the archive department courtesy of his older brother who is well-placed in Serbia's particracy. Before coming to the company, Boškić worked as an entry level employee (pripravnik) in another state-owned enterprise, Zavod za izgradnju grada (ZIG), where his brother held a management position. Following the 2012 Serbian parliamentary elections where the coalition led by the Democratic Party (DS) lost power to the new ruling coalition formed by the Progressive Party (SNS), Boškić's older brother who was closely associated with DS often has to cover his tracks and come up with alibis in regards to previous work. However, he possesses enough skills, contacts, and connections, allowing him to smoothly overcome this power handover at the top. With a father who was also a long time politically-appointed functionary under various authorities throughout the decades, the entire Boškić family is well-off as they continue to successfully navigate through various political changes in Serbia.

Despite his affluent background in the Serbian societal context, young Boškić is mostly withdrawn, shy, and awkward around people, which older and more experienced Čvarkov and Torbica skilfully use against him.^[4]

Roles

References

External links

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