♦ Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal passed away in Mumbai on 23 December 2024. He was 90.  He was born on 14 December 1934, in Hyderabad. Shyam Benegal was known for films like Ankur, Mandi, Manthan and more, most of which were released in the mid-70s or 80s.

♦ Benegal was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. He also received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, in 2005.
♦ He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2006 to 2012.