R.K. Narayan’s "An Astrologer’s Day": A Complete Literary Analysis
An Astrologer’s Day: Story vs. Movie
R.K. Narayan’s An Astrologer’s Day is a brilliant story full of suspense, irony, and unforgettable characters set in a lively marketplace. Recently, We watched its movie adaptation and was curious to see how the story and characters were portrayed on screen. In this blog, I’ll share how faithful the movie is to the original, how it added emotional and cinematic touches, and how it helped me understand the story better. (for More information Click Here )
Setting: A Shadowy Market Scene
Narayan sets the story in a bustling, semi-lit street market near the Town Hall Park, a space alive with color, noise, and characters:
“A surging crowd was always moving up and down this narrow road morning till night.”
The place is described as a “bewildering criss-cross of light rays and moving shadows”, with flaring lamps, gaslights, and no proper municipal lighting. This chaotic setting is not just atmospheric — it mirrors the astrologer’s shadowy profession and supports his need for concealment. The absence of full light plays into the theme of deception and mystery.
🧵 Plot: A Twist That Changes Everything
The story unfolds in a simple yet suspenseful arc:
-
Exposition: The astrologer sets up shop, luring customers with his mystic appearance.
-
Rising Action: A mysterious stranger challenges his knowledge.
-
Climax: The astrologer reveals shocking personal details about the stranger.
-
Falling Action: The stranger believes the astrologer and abandons his revenge.
-
Resolution: At home, the astrologer reveals the truth — he was the man once left for dead by the stranger.
The twist — that the astrologer is not a seer but the would-be victim himself — reshapes the entire story in hindsight.
👤 Characters: Real People with Hidden Layers
🔹 The Astrologer:
-
A clever conman, "as much a stranger to the stars" as his clients.
-
He fled his village after nearly killing a man, and reinvented himself in the city.
-
Uses sharp observation, psychological insight, and performance to survive.
-
His guilt is quietly buried under a saffron turban — until fate makes him confront it.
🔹 Guru Nayak (the Stranger):
-
Seeks revenge on the man who once attacked him.
-
Suspicious and aggressive, yet easily swayed when convinced.
-
Ironically, he believes in the astrologer’s false prophecy, thinking fate has settled the score.
🔹 The Astrologer’s Wife:
-
A symbol of simple domestic life.
-
Her joy over “twelve and a half annas” highlights their modest living.
-
Acts as a moral anchor and helps reveal the astrologer’s secret.
🎭 The Astrologer’s Get-Up: A Costume of Power
“His forehead was resplendent with sacred ash and vermilion”
-
“His eyes sparkled with a sharp abnormal gleam” — a look of hunger mistaken for vision
-
“Dark whiskers streamed down his cheeks”
-
“To crown the effect he wound a saffron-coloured turban around his head”
Even his tools — cowrie shells, mystic charts, palmyra writing — contribute to the illusion. As Narayan humorously notes:
“Even a half-wit’s eyes would sparkle in such a setting.”
His look never failed to attract people — “as bees are attracted to cosmos or dahlia stalks.” It’s a performance, a mask worn to survive, and it plays directly into the story’s theme of deception and self-reinvention.
🧱 Structure: Tight and Purposeful
The story follows a linear structure with a classic twist ending. The final revelation — that the astrologer knows Guru Nayak because he once tried to kill him — casts a new light on everything that came before.
There’s a subtle use of flashback in the final scene, giving just enough of the astrologer’s past to explain his present. Narayan achieves this economically and powerfully, without leaving the reader confused or overwhelmed.
✍️ Style: Simple, Ironic, and Deeply Indian
Narayan’s style is his signature — plain, precise, and quietly ironic. He doesn't exaggerate or preach. He presents the absurdity of life with a light hand and a humorous eye.
“The swine has cheated me! He promised me a rupee,” says the astrologer at the end, not because of fear, but because of lost money — even after nearly being exposed.
Narayan’s use of dialogue brings his characters to life. His irony is gentle but sharp, exposing human folly, belief, and survival instinct.
🌱 Themes: What Lies Beneath
🔮 Deception and Identity
The astrologer lives by deception — his costume, his words, his entire persona is a performance. Yet it's not malicious — it’s a survival strategy.
⚖️ Fate vs Free Will
The irony is deep: the astrologer manipulates belief in fate to influence someone’s free will. Guru Nayak believes fate took its course, when in reality, the astrologer simply steers him away from revenge.
🧠 Guilt and Redemption
The astrologer has lived in fear, believing he once killed a man. The story ends with him feeling relieved, not triumphant.
“A great load is gone from me today... I thought I had the blood of a man on my hands.”
While - Viewing Tasks:
🔷 The Beginning
We can’t find any major changes in the core plot between the story and the video, but we can trace some differences in presentation.
In the original short story, the beginning gives a rich, detailed description of the bazaar, filled with:
-
Medicine sellers, magicians, and cloth auctioneers
-
Flares, flickering lights, shadows
-
Street vendors shouting creative names for snacks like “Bombay Ice-Cream” or “Raja’s Delicacy”
This vivid setting builds atmosphere and introduces the astrologer’s place in the market.
However, in the video, this description of the bazaar is missing or very minimal. The story begins more directly, focusing on the astrologer’s setup and his actions, skipping the sensory details of the setting.
Still, the essential elements remain the same, such as the astrologer’s appearance and tools — and how he uses sacred ash or a mystical chit to gain people’s trust.
🔷 Important Scenes
✅ 1. The Encounter with Guru Nayak
This key moment appears in both versions.
-
In both, Guru Nayak challenges the astrologer, and the astrologer accepts, pretending to read his palm.
-
The astrologer reveals specific details about Guru Nayak’s past, shocking him.
-
This builds suspense and leads to the final twist.
✅ 2. The Conversation with the Wife
This scene is faithfully retained in both versions.
-
After the astrologer returns home, his wife is happy with the money.
-
He then reveals the truth: that the man he thought he had killed (Guru Nayak) is alive.
-
This confession shows the astrologer’s guilt and relief, giving emotional depth to his character.
✅ 3. The Market Scene
In the story, the market is almost a character itself — noisy, lively, and chaotic, filled with vendors and lights:
“A bewildering criss-cross of light rays and moving shadows.”
In the video, this market atmosphere is underplayed. The focus is more on the astrologer and his interactions, not on the larger environment.
🔷 The Climax Scene
This is the most powerful scene in both versions.
-
The astrologer reveals that he knows Guru Nayak was stabbed and thrown into a well.
-
Guru Nayak is shocked — and convinced that the astrologer has supernatural insight.
-
The astrologer lies and says the attacker is dead, convincing Guru Nayak to give up his search for revenge.
Only at the end does the audience learn the twist:
The astrologer was the attacker, and he believed for years that he had killed Guru Nayak.
This twist is preserved exactly in the video version, just like in the story. It adds a powerful moment of irony and shifts our understanding of the astrologer's character.
🔷 The End
The ending is emotionally significant.
-
The astrologer tells his wife that he feels free from guilt.
-
He explains his past crime, and that he thought he had lived with blood on his hands for years.
-
The wife is shocked, but the story ends quietly with them settling down for the night.
The video keeps this final emotional note, making sure the character’s internal conflict is fully resolved.
Post – Viewing Tasks:
📽️ How faithful is the movie to the original short story?
The movie remains largely faithful to R.K. Narayan’s short story An Astrologer’s Day. The core plot, the twist ending, and the character arc of the astrologer are all preserved. The central incident — the unexpected reunion between the astrologer and Guru Nayak — unfolds closely to the original.
However, there are notable differences in cinematic treatment:
-
The rich description of the bazaar in the story is missing in the film.
-
In the story, the astrologer receives 12½ annas instead of one rupee, but in the video, the payment is shown as ₹430 instead of ₹500, updating the setting slightly to suit modern audiences.
Despite these creative adjustments, the spirit, irony, and moral ambiguity of the story are effectively retained.
🧠 After watching the movie, have your perceptions changed?
Yes, the movie added emotional and psychological depth to what I had only imagined while reading. In the story, the astrologer appears like a clever trickster, manipulating people with practiced guesses. But on screen, his body language, facial expressions, and moments of silence made him feel more human, conflicted, and relatable.
Similarly, Guru Nayak’s character seemed more threatening in the movie, which made their confrontation more intense. The fear in the astrologer’s eyes, when he realizes who his client is, gave the moment more weight than I initially felt while reading.
🎨 Did you feel ‘aesthetic delight’? If yes, when?
Yes, definitely — especially during the climactic twist when the astrologer begins revealing shocking truths about Guru Nayak's past: the stabbing, the well, and his near-death experience. The way this scene was built through music, lighting, and facial reactions gave it a cinematic sharpness and thrill.
The background music added an emotional and suspenseful tone that can’t be experienced while reading. The combination of visuals and sound created a dramatic transformation that enhanced the storytelling.
🎬 Does the movie help in better understanding the short story?
Absolutely. The movie helps viewers grasp the emotions, tone, and inner turmoil of the astrologer far better than reading alone. The dramatic pauses, visual tension, and expressions convey what the text often only hints at.
For example, the astrologer’s confession to his wife at the end hits harder in the film — we can actually see his relief, making the twist even more meaningful. The cinematic touch, including lighting, musical cues, and subtle performances, supports a more immersive understanding of the story.
🌟 Was there any particular scene or moment that you think was perfect?
Yes — the scene where the astrologer recognizes Guru Nayak by the light of the cheroot was brilliantly executed. It was a perfect combination of tense silence, shadow play, and emotional shift. The astrologer’s confidence visibly fades, replaced by fear and calculation. This is the turning point of the story, and the film version made it feel alive and intense.
🎬 If you were the director, what changes would you make?
If I were to remake this film, I would consider:
-
Re-adding a vivid opening market scene like in the original — with street vendors, noise, flares, and moving shadows. This would capture the authentic Indian setting (like Malgudi ) described so beautifully by Narayan.
-
Incorporating a voiceover or internal monologue to reveal the astrologer's thoughts and hint at his backstory earlier.
-
Giving more visual emphasis to the astrologer’s appearance — his vermilion forehead, sacred ash, dark whiskers, and saffron turban — which are described in detail in the story and form a big part of his deceptive charm.
These enhancements could bridge the gap between cinematic impact and literary richness, staying even truer to the original tone while keeping it engaging for modern audiences.
The movie version of An Astrologer’s Day brings the story to life with emotional depth, cinematic style, and a strong sense of drama. While it misses a few descriptive details, it adds musical elements, updated visuals, and human nuance that make the story even more compelling.
The essential twist, moral tension, and character revelation are all preserved — making it a successful adaptation that not only complements the original story, but also enhances our appreciation of it.
.jfif)
Comments
Post a Comment