Noted filmmaker Shyam Benegal [Images], media magnate Shobhana Bhartia and eminent art historian Kapila Vatsayan were on Thursday nominated to Rajya Sabha.

They fill the vacancies caused by the retirement of leading jurist Fali S Nariman, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar [Images] and journalist Cho Ramaswamy.

72-year-old Benegal, who was credited with introducing what is called the 'middle cinema', shot to fame with Ankur in 1973 was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and Padma Bhushan in 1981.

Bhartia, vice chairperson and editorial director of Hindustan Times, is also chairperson of the PTI board of directors.

Her father K K Birla had also been a member of Rajya Sabha for a long time. Bhartia runs the HT group, which has been expanding in the recent years, the latest being the edition from Mumbai.

The group also publishes the popular Hindi daily Hindustan and plans to launch a business daily soon.

Vatsayan, 78, is one of the foremost Indian scholars of Indian dance and performing arts. An associate of the late Indira Gandhi [Images], she was recently appointed chairperson of the prestigious Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts.