Islamabad, Oct 13 (IANS): What is the prime reason for the world's water shortage? Bollywood films, according to a prominent Pakistani paper.

"The shortage of water is a key global issue these days. And what is the reason for this shortage? Believe it or not, Bollywood films," a report in the Urdu daily Jang said Tuesday.

"Bollywood not only spends money like water on its films but prodigious waste of water is also a habit of Bollywood producers and directors," it said, noting in that current Salman Khan superhit "Dabangg", one scene which showed the heroine (Sonakshi Sinha) getting wet in the rain "used 180,000 litres of water".

Giving other examples, it said another picture dealing with the 2007 floods in Mumbai used a whopping 3,600,000 litres of water for filming just once scene of the deluge, while the Shah Rukh Khan film 'My Name is Khan' used 2,400,000 litres of water.

"All this was not ordinary water but specially ordered and purified water," it said, noting potable water is not available for half of India's population.

"Akshay Kumar starrer 'De Dana Dan', like its name, wasted water 'de dana dan' - as much as 8, 400,000 litres," it said, adding it was noteworthy that acclaimed director James Cameron in filming his Oscar-winning "Titanic" had only need of 450,000 litres of water.