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The adventures of the cartoon character, Felix Mogo, in India, will be the crux of Christian Cailleaux's new graphic novel. MINU ITTIYPE meets this noted French cartoonist.
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FELIX MOGO, a French blond with very French ideas, is travelling through the sub-continent and rapidly changing his perception of India. Pulsating India stepping boldly into the future, is a surprise to Felix Mogo. He expected to be in a land of forests and temples where the average Indian frequently hunted the tiger. The adventures of Felix Mogo, this cartoon character, are slowly being impressed into the pages of a graphic novel by his creator, Christian Cailleaux. And this is not the first of Felix Mogo's adventures, for he has been the protagonist of many of Cailleaux's novels traversing the French speaking African countries and Canada.
Felix in India
Christian Cailleaux, like his cartoon character Felix, is on his first visit to Kochi and India and needless to say, is as surprised. Besides graphic novels, Mr. Cailleaux has done three comic books. "We call them Bande Dessinee. Comic book is the term we use for American comics like Superman and Spiderman," says Mr. Cailleaux trying to instil French terms into the majority of the English-Malayalam speaking audience who gather around him to glean some cartoon information.
Mr. Cailleaux belongs to the school of Herge (Tintin's creator). His lines are stark and clear without any fuss in what the French call, `Ligne Claire' (clear lines). Mr. Cailleaux, a non-political cartoonist, also does illustrations for newspapers like Le Figaro and for advertising agencies in France. He is quick to point out that though the paper is right wing, his job is to illustrate the literary pages and he does not air his political opinions through his cartoons.
How free are the French cartoonists? "Very free. But there are precise laws. We cannot attack people about their personal lives, which cannot be proved. And we cannot promote racism," Mr. Cailleaux answers. When he bends over a piece of paper Felix Mogo emerges in black and white and there is a thought provoking text. "For example, I am free to draw that I am not free." Whether the reply is a tease, it is meant to confound or really speak the creator's mind is left to the reader to discern.
Involve reader
Mr. Cailleaux, who studied Communication at the National School of Arts near Paris, says that he was trained to involve the reader while drawing. Sometimes his frames are mute and the reader is made to participate. Mr. Cailleaux explains that unlike illustrations the drawing and the texts complement each other in his cartoons.
The reader is expected to form frames in his mind using his imagination when there is a break in the continuity. In his comic books Les Imposteurs Albert is the main character.
"Albert is a simple man from a simple background but one night he is mistaken for a famous writer. He then continues to live this role quite unable to return to his former self." Philosophises Mr. Cailleaux: "We are not really true all the time. We all play a role and in many ways we are impostors. Some impostors are innocent, playing roles in order to survive, while others are guilty of cheating people."
Are you playing a role too Mr. Cailleaux? "Aren't we all?" was his unperturbed reply.
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