The brother of Salman Khan had a perfect debut in Abbas-Mustan's Darrar (1996). He played a negative role as a hero and everyone thought he would do a repeat of Shah Rukh Khan's Darr. Coincidentally, Juhi Chawla was the heroine. But it didn't work.

The film failed and so did Arbaaz's fortune. Three years later, he reappeared in a big way with Salman doing Hello Brother (1999), but audiences rejected the film. Then came half a dozen forgetful roles before the hit Qayamant, where he played a villain.

He was last seen in Akbar Khan's Taj Mahal in the role of Emperor Aurangzeb.