Company Limited (সীমাবদ্ধ)

They say that in West Bengal over a million educated people are unemployed

I don't know how many uneducated ones there are

Most of West Bengal's problems stem from this

Fortunately, I am not one of the unemployed

For the past 10 years. I've worked for a British commercial firm

The name of the concern is Hindustan Peters

The liability of members is limited

Our business is lamps and fans

Peters Lamps and Peters Fans have a big reputation

We have a factory in Calcutta with 1200 workers

We've started exporting too

These ceiling fans will be exported to Iraq

The order for 10,000 is valued at 12 lakhs

I have much responsibility

as I am the Sales Manager of the Fan Division

My name is Shyamalendu Chatterjee

I spent my childhood in Patna

My father was a school master there

I did my schooling in Patna. I was a good student

I got a first class first in English M.A.

After my education I too was a teacher like my father

One day I applied for a job I saw advertised

I was called in due course

and interviewed at Peters Ltd. Patna branch

Manager Davidson submitted me to a barrage of questions

I had no problem giving my views

After some time the postman handed me an envelope bearing the Peter's logo

I had got the appointment

with a starting salary of 800 rupees a month

There was a gap of one and half months,

so I completed a necessary duty

The girl's name is Dolonchampa

Her father, Professor Bhattacharjee, had taught me Shakespeare's poetry

After marriage, my first posting was in Delhi

I left for Delhi on February 25th 1960 with my family

My story, in the 10 years since then has been one of rapid rise

I owe this to a combination of intelligence, luck and a great deal of toil

Today the company's future and mine are closely interlinked

All my hopes and ambitions centre on Hindusthan-Peters

For last 7 years we have been in Calcutta

initially staying in a flat at Balligunge

After I was made Sales Manager we got the Company's flat

My parents now live in Calcutta since my father retired

I've arranged a flat for them

We have a 7 year old son named Raja

Raja attends St. Paul's School in Darjeeling

He boards there

We visit him during vacation

Our head office has 180 on staff

The M.D.Managing Director, is Mr. Andrew Ferris

He was a student at Balliol College Oxford

Under him are Marketing Director Davidson and Finance Director Gordon

Davidson is in England now. I hear he has cancer

Just under them are two hopeful Sales Managers

Ranadeb Sanyal of the Lamp Division

and Shyamalendu Chatterjee of the Fan Division

In other words: myself

Chitranjali Presents

Based on Shankar's story

COMPANY LIMITED

Starring Sharmila Tagore

Barun Chanda Parmita Chowdhary

Harindranath Chattopadhyay

Haradhan Banerjee Ajay Banerjee

Dipankar De

Photography by Soumendu Roy

Editing by Dulal Dutta

Produced by Bharat Shamsher, Jung Bahadur Rana

Scenario, Music and Direction by Satyajit Ray

Hello, Mr. Talukdar, how are you ?

Standing beside you...

You are thinking physically

Your father must be tall

No

Then...

You're already here?

Why is the fan on ?

I only wiped it, sir

Maybe you wiped it here quite vigorously

If you keep the fan on money will deducted from your salary

My residential line is out of order, Please complain.

Why are you surprised ? You asked me to come early

Not at you, but at your sense of duty

I was coming to see you

Come in

The projection is at ten ?

Yes, nearby at the Roxy. It'll take ten minutes,

My only regret is I couldn't get an Iraqi

Don't you like her?

It's not that...

Come on

It'll be published on shipment day?

I think it's long

It ended abruptly

Just come in ?

Sit down

Any news ?

My news ? You're the man in the news Surely?

I mean it

It's true

That's your view

No poster, no slogan proclaims it

I was talking in a larger context

You are king at Peters

It's much better if you talked in the plural

Today there is a board meeting

You sent me a note

No offence meant

Be there

You may be called in

Will you be asking the questions?

Don't make me laugh. Mr. Chatterjee

Its not the local directors I'm afraid of

It's the outsiders

They've never faced them

Davidson used to report to the Board. Now he's away

Now we will be called in

What will the other directors do ?

They may ask odd questions

I'll tell what they'll do

Sir Barun will doze most of the time

Kumar Jagadish will lift his hand if necessary. Never speaks.

Murty is from Delhi, you know him.

Then there's Boral

Why fear a mere Bengali when the tiger sahibs eat out of your hand?

Are you afraid of Panchu Boral ?

When I was told to submit a report ii had mixed feelings

You can't fool me

You are quite happy with the situation

The way I see it you won't be in this room for long

Have they all come?

They'll just be coming

Going to the club, attending meetings

I was seventy in February you know

You are like your Rolls Royce, sir

The older you get, the more you're worth

I had to fight for it

I am a fighter

The struggle nowadays and that of the British era are not same

Now the "revolutionaries" are unable to manage even one or two MP's

In our time we kept them under our thumb

If necessary, we sent them to prison

We wrestled the British on equal terms

I remembered while he was speaking of trouble

Did I tell him the story of Auckinlek?

Probably Mr. Chatterjee hasn't heard it

The war was then in full swing

Field Marshall Auckinlek submitted a budget for the Territorial Army

I held onto it for three days, then passed it on with such a fierce objection

that it almost got cancelled

That's a long story...

I went up as far as the Viceroy

only on the personal request of the Finance Secretary, I calmed down

Come to my house sometime and I'll tell you the entire episode

But think of their greatness and they got knighthood even after that

That is there, but you couldn't stop short

Well, I am coming

Arrange for the coffee

Don't go away

- What brings you here Runu? - I submitted a report, as you did

They may call on me today

Would you like one?

No, I prefer cigarettes

Have you seen the paper?

Cancer !

Cigarette ads may be stopped

Bit pointless since they aren't stopping manufacturing

Is that new?

The ring ? It's from Ramalingam.

Ramalingam is selling rings nowadays?

He told me I'm not having a good time

I needed a coral stone

I asked my wife. It arrived the next day

Listen, you are not needed

You may go

See if my residence line is connected please

Connect me with my residence will you please?

It's still not alright?

OK. Leave it

No... not me alone... Chatterjee too was called

Really? Then ?

Nothing. We came back.

You weren't called in ?

Obviously no need

When did the phone start working?

Dearest Papa and Mama, I am alright

I has a little cold, but I'm all right now

Exams begin on Monday, so I'm studying hard

But I am also playing playing cricket and skating

Mahinder broke his ankle skating but I didn't

Today it is very misty. I like mist but not rain.

The rain is nice in Calcutta.

I miss you. When are you coming ?

Do write

Love and kisses from Raja

Have you read the letter?

Raja's ?

Not only Raja's, your sister-in-law's.

Tutul !

That's why I was arranging the guest room