India, Feb. 13 -- Dubai is often ''sold as a dream'' - glittering skylines, attractive salaries and a fast-paced lifestyle. But for one Indian expat, the story is more layered than the glossy Instagram posts suggest.

"This is not a propaganda video against Dubai, but I'm gonna de-influence you from moving here," he said in an Instagram reel that has struck a chord with many aspiring migrants.

The expat, who moved to the emirate two years ago, says he arrived with high hopes. "All I knew was what the internet told me - the lifestyle, the exposure, the chance to do something better. And that's all true," he admits. "But no one really mentions the other part."

That "other part", he explains, includes sending out endless job applications -...