Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Tavleen Singh’s Debut Novel Imagines India’s Unsettling Political Future
Tavleen Singh is a journalist who has written her first political novel.
The book is called The Actor.
It imagines a future India where religion has become very powerful in politics.
A famous but struggling movie star enters politics to help an opposition leader.
The story includes problems such as violence, discrimination, corruption and limits on journalists.
Singh says the fictional leader is not meant to be any real politician.
She believes India could move closer to this imagined future if current trends continue.
She also says focusing too much on religious disputes has distracted the country from technology and development.
Journalist Tavleen Singh’s debut novel, The Actor, portrays a future India moving toward extreme religiosity.
The story follows Bollywood star Amit Singh as he enters politics after several film failures.
The novel explores bulldozer justice, caste violence, religious radicalisation, political repression and dynastic politics.
Singh says the fictional country could resemble real India within 10 years if current political trends continue.
She says religious politics has distracted India from priorities such as developing artificial intelligence and remaining competitive with China.
- Who
- Journalist and author Tavleen Singh, along with the fictional characters Amit Singh, Guruji and Naresh Khanna.
- What
- Singh has published The Actor, her debut work of political fiction about a Bollywood star entering politics in a future India.
- When
- The novel is set in the future; the article does not specify when the interview took place.
- Where
- The story is set in an imagined India, including political settings associated with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
- Why
- Singh says she wrote the novel because she has seen religion become too deeply involved in Indian politics and wanted to explore the country’s political fault lines.
- Author
- Tavleen Singh
- Novel
- The Actor
- Genre
- Political fiction
- Central character
- Amit Singh, a Bollywood star who enters politics
- Fictional leader
- Guruji, a former yoga guru elected prime minister four times
- Political concerns
- Religious polarisation, caste violence, repression, corruption and dynastic politics
- Technology comparison
- Singh says India has fallen behind China in developing artificial intelligence while focusing on religious disputes