Trending Movie Review: A Promising Premise that Fizzles Out

When a film is titled Trending and revolves around influencers, it naturally leans in two directions: it could either serve as a cautionary tale about the perils of social media, or it might unravel as a high-stakes thriller. Trending, starring Kalaiyarasan and Priyalaya, tries to juggle both paths—but ends up doing justice to neither, bogged down by lapses in logic and an overstretched runtime.

The story follows Arjun (Kalaiyarasan) and Meera (Priyalaya), a YouTube-famous couple living the high life, having quit their jobs, bought a lavish villa, and cruising around in a luxury car. But their influencer dream soon crashes—overnight, their channel is deactivated, and they find themselves pursued by loan sharks. Enter a mysterious stranger with an irresistible offer: take part in a reality game that promises big rewards. Desperate, they agree. But the game soon spirals into a sinister descent that begins to unravel not just their lives, but their relationship too.



If Trending were a social media platform, its intriguing concept would be the catchy content—but its execution would be the bad algorithm. Arjun and Meera’s choices often defy logic. Their decision to jump headfirst into a stranger’s shady game feels unconvincing, especially when their desperation isn’t adequately explored. It’s hard to empathize with characters whose motivations are as unclear as the game itself. The film aims to examine human greed, but the husband’s willingness to endanger his wife undermines that ambition, leaving us detached from their fate.

Ironically, for a film centered on social media—a space that thrives on quick, punchy content—Trending forgets the golden rule of brevity. At 147 minutes, the film drags, often repeating the same emotional and narrative beats. The first half does a decent job of setting up the twisted game, but the second half leans too heavily on shock value, turning into a monotonous parade of increasingly absurd challenges. You keep waiting for the promised thriller to kick in, but instead, the film meanders toward a dull climax, complete with a forgettable cameo and an obvious attempt at sequel bait.

There’s no doubt that Trending touches on urgent themes: the price of online fame, the fragility of digital livelihoods, and how easily people trade ethics for engagement. But the film treats these themes like hashtags—present but fleeting. It can’t decide whether it’s a critique of social media addiction, a moral lesson on greed, or a psychological study of deceit. It tries to be all three, and ends up accomplishing none. Conversations about virality, likes, and reels feel more like distractions than commentary, pulling your attention away from the story and—ironically—towards your phone.

With such timely subject matter, Trending had all the ingredients for a sharp, impactful film. Instead, it ends up doing to its premise what inactivity does to an influencer’s feed: it fades. Like the influencers we scroll past every day, hoping for something real, this film ultimately offers only flashes of promise buried in a forgettable reel. Fleeting, frustrating, and far from trending.