An Astrologer’s Day by R. K. Naraya My Experience Before and After Watching the Movie
Introduction :-
Sometimes, stories are more than just words on paper. They create a world in our minds. When we read, we build scenes, faces, sounds, and emotions with our imagination. And then, when we watch the same story as a movie, it either matches what we imagined or surprises us in new ways. This happened to me with An Astrologer’s Day by R. K. Narayan.
In this blog, I want to share my personal journey how I imagined the story while reading it, and what changed for me after watching its movie adaptation.
About R. K. Narayan
R.K. Narayan (Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami) was born in 1906 in Madras . He is one of the greatest Indian writers in English. His stories are not about kings or heroes. They are about common people schoolboys, shopkeepers, teachers, clerks, and in this case, an astrologer. He writes about their small struggles, their dreams, their mistakes, and their moments of joy. And yet, these small stories touch something big in our hearts.
Narayan’s language is easy to read, but his stories are full of deep meaning. He received many awards during his life, including the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. His work is loved not only in India but across the world.
About An Astrologer’s Day
An Astrologer’s Day is one of Narayan’s most popular short stories. The beauty of the story lies in its simplicity and surprise ending. The story shows us just one evening in the life of an astrologer who sits in a market and tells people’s fortunes.
The astrologer is dressed in a saffron turban. He has sacred ash on his forehead. He looks wise and holy. People believe in him and pay him to hear about their future. But what they don’t know is that this man is not truly gifted with any powers. He simply uses his cleverness, quick thinking, and understanding of human nature to guess what people want to hear.
On this particular evening, something unexpected happens. A stranger comes to him and challenges him to tell his fortune. The astrologer, thinking it’s just another customer, begins his usual tricks. But as they talk, the truth is revealed the astrologer has a dark past. Years ago, he had stabbed a man in a fight and fled, thinking he had killed him. That stranger in front of him now is that very man.
What follows is a tense and clever conversation where the astrologer manages to save himself once again. The story ends with a twist that leaves the reader amazed at how fate works in strange ways.
How I Imagined the Story Before Watching the Movie
When I first read An Astrologer’s Day, the words created vivid images in my mind. Narayan’s descriptions are simple, but they are so powerful that I could easily picture the entire scene. Let me share what I saw in my imagination.
The Market :-
I imagined a busy, colourful market at night. There were rows of small shops and stalls, each lit with oil lamps. The lamps flickered in the evening breeze, casting dancing shadows on the faces of the sellers and buyers. The street was narrow, filled with people moving around, bargaining, buying, and chatting. I imagined the smell of groundnuts being roasted, the sweet scent of incense, and the dust of the street rising with every step.
The Astrologer
Under a large tamarind tree sat the astrologer. I saw him wearing a saffron turban, his forehead marked with white ash. His beard was neatly trimmed. His eyes were sharp, always looking around for customers. His hands moved confidently as he spread out his charts, shells, and papers. He looked peaceful on the outside, but inside, he was alert, always ready with clever words.
I imagined him lighting a small lamp near his feet, creating a small circle of light that made him look more mysterious. His voice was smooth and calm, the kind of voice that makes people trust him.
The Stranger :-
When the stranger appeared, I imagined him as a tall man with a rough, sunburned face. His eyes were dark and deep, filled with pain and anger. His clothes were simple and dusty. His voice was loud and harsh when he challenged the astrologer. I could feel the tension between them as they spoke.
What Happened When I watched the Movie
After reading the story and building this world in my mind, I watched the short film adaptation . Watching the movie felt like stepping into someone else’s imagination of the same story.
The Market
The market on screen was very close to what I had imagined. It was crowded and noisy. The oil lamps gave it that warm, flickering glow. The shops, the sellers, the people moving around it all felt real. The sounds I had imagined in my head were now alive . The film captured the lively and chaotic atmosphere of the marketplace beautifully. The small details, like the smoke rising from food stalls or the movement of people, added to the realism.
The Astrologer
The actor who played the astrologer looked just like I had pictured. His turban, his ash-marked forehead, his beard it was all there. But the film added something more. His facial expressions, the way his eyes shifted, the way he held his breath for a moment when the stranger questioned him these small things showed his inner fear and quick thinking in a way that words can only suggest.
His voice, too, added a new layer. It was calm, but with a hint of worry when the stranger pressed him for answers.
The Stranger
The stranger in the movie matched my mental image quite well. He looked rough and tired. His eyes carried the weight of his past. His voice was challenging and angry. On screen, his presence felt even more dangerous, because I could see the way he leaned forward, the way he stared at the astrologer, the way his hands moved as he spoke.
The film built up the tension slowly. The conversation between the astrologer and the stranger felt more intense because I could see their faces up close. The background music added to the suspense. When the twist came, the relief on the astrologer’s face was clear. The way the camera focused on his expression made the ending more powerful.
Comparing My Imagination and the Movie
It was interesting to see how close or different the film was from what I had imagined. Here’s how I felt:
Aspect My Imagination Movie
Market Crowded, noisy, full of smells and lights Matched well sounds, lights, and crowd shown beautifully
Astrologer Mysterious, clever, sharp-eyed Looked the same, but expressions and voice added more emotion
Stranger Rough, angry, dangerous Matched my image; felt even more tense on screen
Twist Surprised me; made me think Felt stronger; relief and irony shown clearly
Reading the story gave me the freedom to imagine everything my own way. Watching the movie filled in the details I might have missed. Both experiences were valuable and enjoyable.
What the Story and Movie Made Me Think About
Both the short story and the movie left me thinking about some deep ideas:
Fate and Destiny
The astrologer and the stranger meet again, not by choice, but because of fate. Life brings them together at the right (or wrong) moment. This shows how we can never fully escape our past.
Cleverness as Survival
The astrologer survives not because of luck alone, but because he uses his mind. His quick thinking and understanding of people save him both in the past and present.
Appearance vs. Reality
The astrologer appears wise and holy, but inside, he is just a man hiding from his mistakes. This reminds us not to judge people by how they look.
Irony of Life
The man who tells others about their future does not know his own. He believes he killed a man, but that man stands before him. Life’s irony protects him in the end.
What We Learn from An Astrologer’s Day
The story An Astrologer’s Day teaches us that we cannot escape from our past it will catch up with us one day. It also shows that life is full of surprises, and we should be ready for anything. The astrologer saves himself not with magic, but with cleverness and quick thinking. The story reminds us not to judge people by how they look because people may be hiding secrets. Lastly, it shows that destiny is powerful, and sometimes things happen that are beyond our control.
Thank you for reading...
Reference :-
“An Astrologer’s Day – Hindi Short Film.” YouTube, uploaded by Pocket Films, June 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkfrjYFQozA. Accessed 28 June 2025.
Narayan, R. K. Malgudi Days. Indian Thought Publications, 1943.
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