The Invisible Hand (play)

[2] The play centers around American banker Nick Bright, specializing in the Pakistani futures market, who is kidnapped by a terrorist organization looking to protect local community interests.

It examines the nature of greed and pits the pervasive philosophy of capitalism against Islamic fanaticism, revealing unifying human passions, underlying tensions, and failings that span the ideological spectrum.

At the opening of the play, Nick befriends his jail guard, Dar, and convinces him to use the supply and demand chain in Pakistan to make some extra money trading potatoes on the side.

As the government begins to monitor the group's activity, Nick suggests to the Imam that he park their cash in illiquid assets, such as real estate.

[11] The New York premiere included Justin Kirk as Nick, Jameal Ali as Dar, Usman Ally as Bashir, and Dariush Kashani as Imam Saleem.

[5] The Tricycle Theatre Cast included Daniel Lapaine as Nick, Sid Sagar as Dar, Parth Thakerar as Bashir, and Tony Jayawardena as Imam Saleem.

"[20] In the Seattle Times, Misha Berson notes that the play provides a "setup for a fierce psychological match, and a useful colloquy on the American dollar as a force for good and evil.

"[22] Elaborating on the themes within the play, Amitava Kumar writes in his review for The Guardian: "Akhtar doesn't hold back when it comes to exposing the gathering greed of the jihadists as the pair [Nick and Bashir] accumulate money, but ... it seems to humanize them.

"[23] Robert Hofler at The Wrap says that "Akhtar has written a financial thriller that is every bit as arresting and nail-bit inducing as J.C. Chandor's 'Margin Call.