Amitabh Bachchan as Balraj Kapoor
He towers over everybody ? in his thoughts, in his wisdom, in his sheer presence! A loving husband, an adoring father and an extraordinary father-in-law, he always puts right before wrong, never mind if he has to stand tradition on its head.

Salman Khan as Avinash Kapoor
He may lie to win his love, but would die if so much as a tear escapes her eye. He?s charming, loving and good looking. No wonder, knowing him is to love him.

Rani Mukherjee as Malvika Talwar
She loves to paint. Loves to fight. Loves to love. Knows the difference between friendship and love and is convinced that love and marriage happen once in lifetime.

John Abraham as Rajat
His love is silent, he expresses all his pent up emotions through his songs. He loses the girl he loves, but is more concerned about her happiness than his own heartbreak.

Hema Malini as Shobhana Kapoor
She loves and is loved by both the men in her life ? husband and son. She may laughingly admit that both of them are ?a total loss?; but her world revolves around them.

Om Puri as Balwant Kapoor
He is the big brother, the head of the family. Tradition and convention are the pillars that support his family honour and reputation and he will go to any length to uphold that.


Balraj Kapoor (Amitabh Bachchan) is a rich businessman with progressive modern outlook towards life. For him, family, culture and values are of utmost importance. Shobhna (Hema Malini), his wife is more than just his better half. Together, they dote their only child Avinash (Salman Khan). For Balraj, Avinash is more of a friend than just his son. After spending many years abroad for studies, Avinash returns home to his parents. Their lives light up and there is happiness everywhere.

Avinash then meets the pretty Millie (Rani Mukherjee) who is a painter. They fall in love and get married. They are blessed with a lovely child named Ansh. Rajat (John Abraham) a young musician and the best friend of Millie, had his feelings for Millie but had never revealed it to her. He is now happy for Millie and Avi. He decides to settle in Europe, pursuing his musical career.

Fate plays a cruel game and one day Avinash meets with a fatal accident. Life without Avinash is unbearable for Millie. Meanwhile Balraj and Shobhna try to find the love of Avinash in Ansh.

Balraj cannot bear to see Millie?s colourless life. He decides to find Rajat and asks him to marry Millie and help him bring back the colours back into her life. But Balwant (Om Puri), Balraj?s elder brother settled in rural Punjab with his family and his widowed sister-in-law objects to Balraj?s plans. Even Shobhna may not be with him this time.

Will Balraj be able to fulfill his plan?
Will he be successful in this test of love?
Will he prove to be a father (Baabul) rather than being a father-in-law?
What questions will be raised by his actions and how the society will react to it forms the story that Baabul is all about.