Kaun banega crorepati? Kerala villages to battle it out on DD.

            Kaun Banega Crorepati may be passed, but Rs 1 crore and reality television are set to break new ground down south. Three decades after rural life entered daily programming with Doordarshan’s Krishi Darshan, its Thiruvananthapuram Kendra is set to telecast a 100-episode show where villages will compete with each other for a Rs 1-crore prize, highlighting their grassroots-level, sustainable developmental projects. The winner panchayat and project will be judged partly on SMSes sent by audience.

         Titled Green Kerala Express, the show will be telecast from the beginning of next month.

            “This is the first of its kind reality show in the country for social development and communication,” Doordarshan Assistant Director Sajan G says. “The Green Kerala Express would highlight the best projects undertaken by local bodies... basically documentaries on development, which could be replicated in other parts of the country. Although the show would not have all the trappings of popular reality shows, audience would get a chance to SMS for their favourate panchayat and its project