Behind some successful women, there are strong feminist fathers, who have always motivated them and lived their journey with them, driving them to work hard every single day. Will Smith as Richard Williams was affectionate as a rock solid father in his determination to train Venus and Serena to win Wimbledon. Drawing a parallel from ‘Dangal’ (2016) and ‘Gunjan Saxena’ (2019), Bollywood has shown us how strong fathers would go to any limits to lead their daughters to success. ‘King Richard’ is no different and it shows how Richard dealt with ridicule, prejudices and discrimination at all levels. These fathers have one thing in common which is, that they all have raised strong women who got what they worked for.
The world has witnessed the success of Serena and Venus but hardly anyone knows about their struggles and more importantly the role of Richard in their lives. The name sounds as if the movie is a period drama about some ancient ruler. However, this sports drama is more about the emotional journey and hardships faced by the duo.
The Reinaldo Marcus Green directorial tells a story of an overprotective and determined father who had planned everything for his prodigy daughters before they were even born. In fact, they were born for the sole purpose of being successful Tennis players, smashing every judgment with their racket.
Richard wanted to inspire every woman of colour to stand firm and be ambitious. The movie ends where he talks about his intention behind training his daughters. Overall, the movie isn’t a typical sports drama but is heartwarming.
‘King Richard’ has been nominated in a number of categories for the Academy Awards and Will Smith has won the Oscar for Best Actor.
‘King Richard’ is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
Rating: 3/5
