New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- Dubai is often portrayed as the ultimate upgrade-towering skyscrapers, tax-free salaries and a lifestyle that looks effortless on social media. But an Indian expat's recent Instagram reel is challenging that polished narrative, offering a more layered account of what life in the emirate can really look like.

"This is not a propaganda video against Dubai, but I'm gonna de-influence you from moving here," the man says at the start of the video, which has since resonated with thousands of viewers, particularly young Indians weighing the idea of working overseas.

The expat, who moved to Dubai two years ago, says he arrived with expectations shaped largely by what he saw online. "All I knew was what the internet told me...