A woman PM leads the storm in 'Lies, Spies and Nuclear Rise' 

"The next day, newspaper headlines screamed all over the world, ‘Goddess incarnate Priya Kaul conducts India’s first nuclear test in a desert’."

This line from Juggi Bhasin’s 'Lies, Spies and Nuclear Rise' may initially read like a spiritual prelude, heavy with grandeur and prophecy. But no.

Plot twist: the so-called “goddess incarnate” is the Prime Minister of India.

As the story gathers pace, so does the idea of a looming assassination - a danger that deepens steadily.

And yet, in a climate where politics sits at the epicentre of national and global anxieties, dropping a fictional Priya Kaul as India’s lady PM can feel like a deal breaker to some. To others, it might be a fresh, bold, unusual characterisation.

In Bhasin’s parallel universe, the Prime Minister is a stern, unshakeable woman, unwavering in her ideals. Meanwhile, her son, drinks himself into walls and parades around with models.

The book opens on a decent, even-paced note, but the early involvement of the United States and Russia - economically, politically, strategically - adds a heaviness that offsets the narrative’s flow.

And truly, this novel is a full platter. You name it, the book has it - an enemy-like son, a woman PM conducting nuclear tests, a nation to run, drama-heavy politics, inevitable betrayals, spies from across the border, and a sprinkling of everything in between. It reads more like a high-voltage entertainment package than a deeply immersive, emotionally layered novel.

Bhasin could have taken a braver leap with the opening. Readers are introduced to a “busy, disturbed, tired” prime minister who needs a glass of wine to reset her authority. Odd choice?

Yet, despite these hiccups, Bhasin does manage to bridge the gap between reader and character with deliberate effort. The book is undeniably a page-turner, though not one I believe will resonate across all age groups.

What’s more intriguing, or perhaps bizarre, is that the PM begins to believe that a senior Russian official and a Palestinian dignitary have a “crush” on her. An unexpected detour, to say the least.

"The photo depicted Priya Kaul at the blast site, inspecting it, accompanied by an army man and Dr Iyer. Priya Kaul, with her dark oversized glasses, saree pallu pulled tightly around her head, the never-to-be-forgotten image of a woman who in her lifetime became ‘Priya Kaul is India and India is Priya Kaul.’"

This extract inevitably sparks a question - what is the author really trying to do here? The scene feels eerily reminiscent of the Ahmedabad plane crash visuals earlier this year, when PM Narendra Modi was photographed inspecting the site. Is Bhasin hinting at a Modi-esque parallel? A subtle sting, perhaps? Only readers can decide.

Yet Bhasin’s masterstroke remains the central premise - a woman prime minister. It’s not the usual fiction fare; it’s a story laced with sharp turns and unsettlingly plausible ideas, crafted around a scenario that feels almost possible. Almost.

However, one aspect that genuinely threw me off was the attempt to portray Priya Kaul as a victim of the everyday household banter most women navigate. But was that really necessary? A minister’s personal life, in reality, stays far from ordinary domestic rhythms - unless, of course, Bhasin intended to craft a version of the PM who feels like the neighbour next door. Only, in this case, she’s running the country between crises.

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