India, Sept. 27 -- Every now and then one comesacross a book that makes you stop, think, and question. That's not as unusual as you may suppose. But I didn't think it would happen in the case of the book I am writing about today. Ihave known its author, Tavleen Singh, asan engaging columnist and the writer of revealing political books. Some, like Durbar, were gripping. But I would never have thought her first novel, The Actor, could be arresting. The truth is, it is. The book is a roman a clef. As the preface indicates, it is "set in a time in India - a time in the future - when religion has become more important than politics". A populist strongman rules the country and it's firmly in his grasp. His name is Guru Gyanendraji Maharaj, popularly known as Guruji. "Among the many myths that swirl about him is that he lived in a cave in the Himalayas but came down to lead the country because he saw turmoil and moral decline and needed to strengthen Sanatana Dharma against the jihadi ideology that had spread and threatened the very nature of India." Guruji is an autocrat. He's a spellbinding speaker. He's obsessed with himself.He's ruthless towards his opponentsand critics. And very conscious of his image in the media. He seeks to fix his opponents by raids on their houses, whilst goons throw stones at their rallies. Consequently, people are scared not just to criticise but even comment about him. Instead, they are lavish with their sycophantic praise. In turn, Guruji dominates every aspect of life. Set against this background, The Actor is the story of Naresh Khanna, an opposition politician, who strives to find a way of reverting India to the decent graceful country it once was. He forms the Parivartan Party and persuades his childhood friend, now a Bollywood superstar, Amit Singh to join him. Amit Singh is the actor the book gets its title from. Much of the story is about how the Parivartan Party is formed, raises its funds, holds rallies, wins support and, in particular, becomes a favourite of the young. In the telling of this tale, Amit Singh learns politics. To do so, he discovers the real India. Cloistered in Bollywood, he was ignorant of the world outside. As he discovers it, we too come to find out the truth. It's grim and undemocratic. It's depressing but feels authentic. Free speech, a free press, free association of people are just thoughts and concepts. The opposition, such as it is, is unequal to the challenge. That's why Naresh is determined to establish a new party. Parivartan is not just its name but also its mission. Naresh wants to make India's democracy and economic philosophy similar towhat he has seen in the West. That's theparivartan he dreams of. He believes ineconomic liberalism, free enterprise,secularism not Hindutva, and individual rights and freedom. Incidentally, these also happen to be Tavleen Singh's core beliefs. Her columns vouch for them. Yet this is more than just a political novel. It's principal characters, Naresh Khanna and Amit Singh, are human in every way. They drink, copiously and frequently. They have passionate sex and quite a lot of it. Though much of the story happens in Delhi and Bombay, it still manages to journey through Gulmarg and Varanasi as well as the villages of UP and Rajasthan. Rich in its description, you can sense the perceptive eye of a well-trained reporter. However, it's Guruji that hovers over everything. His presence is always there. Tavleen seems to have observed him closely. Her account of his behaviour, his mannerisms, even his foibles lingers with you. You feel you know him personally. The book ends dramatically, but Iwon't give that away. Yet it wasn't as surprising as it at first felt. You sort of suspectthis could happen. When it did, itseemed like confirmation of the message Tavleen is seeking to convey. As I put the book down, there is onequestion that made me stop and think.Is this really the future? Or is this, in fact,the present?...