An Astrologer’s Day by R K Narayan

this blog is part of thinking activity assign by Megha ma'am for differentiate the real story and video adaptation of the story. Click Here for the task.  

Pre-Viewing Tasks:

 Setting

• Location: A busy street in a town in India, most likely in Malgudi (Narayan’s fictional town).
• Specific Place: Under a tamarind tree, amidst shops, street vendors, and passers-by.
• Time Period: Pre-independence or early post-independence India (though no exact date is given).
• Atmosphere: Bustling, chaotic, but the astrologer creates an illusion of mysticism and calm.

Plot

• A man who once fled his village after a violent altercation, now works as an astrologer in the city.
• He doesn't actually possess any astrological powers but relies on guesswork, people-reading, and generic statements.
• One evening, a stranger (Guru Nayak) challenges him for a real prediction.
• The astrologer, seeing the man's face in the lamplight, recognizes him as the man he thought he had killed in a fight years ago.
• Using this knowledge, he convinces the man he is a real astrologer and tells him his attacker is dead.
• The stranger leaves satisfied and no longer seeks revenge.
• The astrologer returns home, relieved that his past secret is finally buried.

 Characters

• The Astrologer:
• Main character.
• Not a real astrologer—he fakes it using street smarts.
• Guilt-ridden about his past.
• Intelligent, persuasive, quick-witted.

Guru Nayak:

• The man who was attacked years ago.
• Seeks the astrologer for answers about his assailant.
• Represents fate catching up, but is ultimately deceived again.

Astrologer’s Wife:

• Minor character.
• Her presence provides insight into the astrologer's personal life and the relief he feels at the end.

Astrologer's Daughter : 

Again it is minor character.

She demands sweets.

At the end his wife mention her.

Structure

• Linear with a twist at the end.
• Exposition: Introduces the astrologer and his fake setup.
• Rising Action: Guru Nayak confronts him.
• Climax: The astrologer recognizes Nayak and manipulates the situation.
• Falling Action: Nayak is satisfied with the prediction.
• Resolution: The astrologer goes home relieved.

 Style

• Simple, direct language with occasional dry humor.
• Third-person narration—limited omniscient, mostly from the astrologer’s perspective.
• Builds suspense slowly and ends with a surprising twist.
• Rich in Indian cultural details, especially urban street life.

Themes

1)Fate vs Free Will:

• The astrologer pretends to read fate, but in reality, it’s his own actions that change the course of events.
• Deception and Identity:
• The astrologer lives a lie daily, and deceives others to survive.
• His whole persona is a false identity hiding a dark past.
• Guilt and Redemption:
• The story explores how guilt can stay buried for years.
• The astrologer finds emotional release in the end.

2)Irony:

• The man who fakes astrology ends up manipulating fate with real knowledge.
• Guru Nayak believes in astrology more after being deceived by someone who isn’t an astrologer.

While - Viewing Tasks:

 

The beginning : at first glance beginning is not perfectly match with real story of R. K. Narayan. Because there no any hint  about his equipment, like a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing.

Another thing is description of Bazar. Also not that much reliable location of shop. There is no detail description about what happening around. 

Important Scenes – The encounter with Guru Nayak, The conversation with wife, The market scene : Mostly all these scenes are similar with the original story. At some level video is all about visual and sound ,so we find some sound and visual appearance.

The End : At home at night, the astrologer shares his relief with his wife and give her all money that given by Guru Nayak. He confess everything He did.

The Climax Scene : The climax occurs when the astrologer recognize  Guru Nayak and  he challenge astrologer. At first astrologer afraid but after he accept the challenge and tell him about his past and his name. 

Post – Viewing Tasks:

1. How faithful is the movie to the original short story?

The movie adaptation of “An Astrologer’s Day” is largely faithful to R.K. Narayan’s original short story. It preserves the core plot, characters, and setting, especially the astrologer’s life under the tamarind tree and the climactic encounter with Guru Nayak. The dialogue and key events follow the original quite closely. However, the film includes additional visual elements and emotional depth through music, lighting, and flashbacks, which are not part of the written story. These cinematic additions enhance the narrative but slightly alter the tone and simplicity of the original.

2. After watching the movie, have your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?

Yes, after watching the movie, my perception of the characters, especially the astrologer, changed. In the text, he seemed clever and manipulative, but the movie added emotional depth and guilt to his character, making him appear more human. The film’s visuals and performances also made the tension between him and Guru Nayak feel more intense and personal, giving a new layer to the situation that I hadn’t fully imagined while reading.

3. Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no, can you explain with reasons?

Yes, I did feel aesthetic delight while watching the movie. It happened particularly during the scene when Guru Nayak lights a cheroot and the astrologer sees his face clearly. The lighting, music, and expressions in that moment were beautifully done and heightened the suspense. It was visually powerful and captured the dramatic turning point in the story with elegance.

4. Does screening of the movie help you in better understanding of the short story?

Yes, watching the movie helped me understand the short story better. The visuals added context to the marketplace and made the astrologer’s environment more vivid. The emotions of the characters were more apparent, and their reactions helped me interpret their thoughts and intentions more clearly than in the text. The movie also emphasized the tension and guilt, which deepened my appreciation of the story’s themes.

5. Was there any particular scene or moment in the story that you think was perfect?

According to me the last  scene of confession. The relief of astrologer is the perfect scene where he find that Guru Nayak is alive.

6. If you are the director, what changes would you like to make in the remaking of the movie based on the short story “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K. Narayan?

If I were the director, I would avoid adding extra subplots or overly dramatic elements that are not in the original story. I would focus more on maintaining the story’s simplicity and subtle irony. I might include a few brief flashbacks to the astrologer’s past to hint at his guilt but keep them minimal. I would also give slightly more screen time to the ending scene with his wife to show the emotional relief he feels after confronting his past.

References :

YouTube,  Pocket Films, youtu.be/TkfrjYFQozA?si=JNR_0-Qm96MoEqs1. Accessed 5 July 2025. 

https://vaidehi09.blogspot.com/2021/09/worksheet-screening-of-short-film.html

Narayan, R K. “AN ASTROLOGER’S DAY.” Google Drive, Google, drive.google.com/file/d/1nvwANvM_NT_6uSrizMz9cul-onLRTX1_/view. Accessed 5 July 2025.