'Hotel Highrange' is among P.Subrahmanyam's lesser known film and it is somewhat different from his more popular pictures. This one is more on the lines of 'Andha Naal'. The story takes place during a foreign invasion of India. Raja Saab (Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair) who is the proprietor of Hotel High Range, in the mountain ranges of Kerala, is a spy of the enemy country. A military recruiting officer who comes to Kerala dies in a jeep accident which the Central Intelligence Agency suspects to be the conspiracy of Raja Saab. Hari, an Intelligence officer, is sent to Kerala to investigate the case. He manages to get employed in Raja Saab's tea estate.
Like most of Subrahmanyam's film, 'Hotel Highrange' is emotionally engaging and this one is more poetic than his popular works. Vayalar Ramavarmma's poems and lyrics are beautiful and they are excellently recited by P.Susheela. I also liked the cinematography which was used very subtly. The script is mostly good. However, there are certain sequences that I failed to understand. After all, Raajasab only killed his accountant to protect Dhaneshan so why did he accept a murder plea? Moreover, a few scenes tend to be melodramatic especially the ending.
Ramakrishna delivers a sincere performance with a natural charm and Sharadha has good screen presence. Aaranmula Ponnamma too is brilliant in a very small role and K.V Shanthi, as usual, is good at playing the evil wife (and I liked that her character was humanized rather than demonized). However, 'Hotel Highrange' is Thikkurishi Sukumaran Nair's film. He has a commanding presence without being too obvious. Natural, involving and heartbreaking are at least three words that describe his performance. I especially enjoyed his scenes with the children in the park and the grown-up daughter.
Even though it tends to go overboard at times, like any P.Subrahmanyam film, 'Hotel Highrange' is definitely worth viewing. It showcases Thikkurishi Sukumaran Nair's talent. Most of spy films pointed fingers towards the spy work of foreign countries in India. Hotel High Range falls in this genre.
