Pakistan-American playwright, Ayad Akhtar, wins the coveted Kennedy prize for his substantial drama Junk. Inspired by American history, the drama has been chosen for the esteemed prize, as it explored the notorious underworld and Wall Street of the 80s.

Akhtar’s play was performed on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Centre and its closing took place last month. The play had a cast of 19 different characters in order to examine various capitalist viewpoints. As per critics, the show unfolded with the accuracy and freshness of a thoroughly gathered spread sheet.

The jury of the Kennedy award comprises of scholars and play-wrights, and many of them said that the play, Junk, sarcastically investigates the financial actions and the faulty system of thought during the 80s which resulted in a polarised world. Ayad has earlier bagged the Pulitzer Prize for Drama In 2013 for his play Disgraced and will now received $100,000 as another prize.