2007 – Aginhotri lifetime achievement award 2007 from Samorin of Calicut[17]
2014 - Lifetime Achievement Award from Raindropss a youth-based social organization on the occasion of Women's Day[44]
2017 – V.C.Padmanabhan memorial award for lifetime achievement from manappuram finance Ltd.
2018 - Legend of the Year Award - RED FM MUSIC AWARDS 2018[45][46]
2019 - Women achievers, News7 Tamil's Thangatharagai Lifetime Achievement award for being as an inspiring women icon and for her outstanding achievements
2019 - Most Socially Committed Lifetime Achievement Award - Ishal Laila Awards 2019,
Dubai[47]
2019 - "Excellence in the field of Music Award" - JFW Women Achievers [48]
2021 - "Mirchi Music's Lifetime Achievement Award" for extraordinary contribution to South-Indian Film Music
She is a singer with 18 Filmfare Awards South Nominations, resulting in 9 wins for 3 different languages.
She holds the record of winning Filmfare Awards South for record number of times in Malayalam & Telugu i.e.,5 & 3 times respectively. She has a record for being the oldest winning singer at 59 years of age for the Malayalam song- 'Theerame' & also the oldest nominated female singer ever at the age of 59, for the Tamil song 'Yennuyire'.
Chithra is the highest recipient of Kerala State Awards under the "Best Playback Singer Female" category & she has won it for 16 times with a record of winning them for 11 times in a row i.e.,(1985-1995)
Chithra is the highest recipient of Andhra Pradesh State Awards under the "Best Playback Singer Female" category & she has won it for 11 times with a record of winning them for 4 times in a row i.e.,(1990-1993)
2001 – International Viewer's Choice Awards
MTV India (
Hindi pop category) Album
Piya Basanti.(The first singer from South India to get the MTV Award)[17]
2016 – Angamaly NRI Association (ANRIA) "Swararathna Puraskaram" as lifetime achievement award for her outstanding performance and creative contributions in the field of music spanning last 36 years.
Other awards
Cinema Express Awards for 1986, 1987, 1988,1990,1991,1993,1994,1995,1998.[17] She won it for 9 times
Film Fans Association Chennai Award – 20 times (This is the oldest film award in South India)[17]
Gamma Indian Music Award, Malaysia for 1988,1989,1990,1996.[17] Won it for 4 times
2001 – "For the sake of honour" award from Rotary International[17]
2013 – CERA BIG Malayalam Music Awards for Best Female Playback - "Ilaveyil Viralukalayi" (Artist) and "Ponnodu Poovay" (Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty)[72]
2013 – CERA Big Malayalam Music Awards for Face of the Award - Honoured for completing three decades in the industry[72]
2014 – Minimol Memorial Charitable Trust - Sathkeerthi Puraskaram[73]
2014 – Mappila Kala Academy in memory of K Raghavan Master - Sangeetha Ratnam Puraskaram for her contribution to film industry[41]
2014 – K.P. Radhakrishna Menon memorial Kala Ratna Award for her outstanding contributions to music.[40]
2015 – K.P.S Menon Memorial Award 2015 by Chettoor Sankaran Nair Memorial Trust, Ottapalam.[74]
2015 – Harmony International Award 2015 instituted by Marthoma Research Academy, Azhikode, Kodungallur.[75]
Other achievements
She has also received numerous mainstream awards like
MTV Immies, Screen – Videocon Award, Film Fans Association Awards, and
Cinema Express Awards. Chithra was also awarded the 'Vocational Excellence' Award by the Rotary Club of Coimbatore.[76]
2007 – Aginhotri lifetime achievement award 2007 from Samorin of Calicut[17]
2014 - Lifetime Achievement Award from Raindropss a youth-based social organization on the occasion of Women's Day[44]
2017 – V.C.Padmanabhan memorial award for lifetime achievement from manappuram finance Ltd.
2018 - Legend of the Year Award - RED FM MUSIC AWARDS 2018[45][46]
2019 - Women achievers, News7 Tamil's Thangatharagai Lifetime Achievement award for being as an inspiring women icon and for her outstanding achievements
2019 - Most Socially Committed Lifetime Achievement Award - Ishal Laila Awards 2019,
Dubai[47]
2019 - "Excellence in the field of Music Award" - JFW Women Achievers [48]
2021 - "Mirchi Music's Lifetime Achievement Award" for extraordinary contribution to South-Indian Film Music
She is a singer with 18 Filmfare Awards South Nominations, resulting in 9 wins for 3 different languages.
She holds the record of winning Filmfare Awards South for record number of times in Malayalam & Telugu i.e.,5 & 3 times respectively. She has a record for being the oldest winning singer at 59 years of age for the Malayalam song- 'Theerame' & also the oldest nominated female singer ever at the age of 59, for the Tamil song 'Yennuyire'.
Chithra is the highest recipient of Kerala State Awards under the "Best Playback Singer Female" category & she has won it for 16 times with a record of winning them for 11 times in a row i.e.,(1985-1995)
Chithra is the highest recipient of Andhra Pradesh State Awards under the "Best Playback Singer Female" category & she has won it for 11 times with a record of winning them for 4 times in a row i.e.,(1990-1993)
2001 – International Viewer's Choice Awards
MTV India (
Hindi pop category) Album
Piya Basanti.(The first singer from South India to get the MTV Award)[17]
2016 – Angamaly NRI Association (ANRIA) "Swararathna Puraskaram" as lifetime achievement award for her outstanding performance and creative contributions in the field of music spanning last 36 years.
Other awards
Cinema Express Awards for 1986, 1987, 1988,1990,1991,1993,1994,1995,1998.[17] She won it for 9 times
Film Fans Association Chennai Award – 20 times (This is the oldest film award in South India)[17]
Gamma Indian Music Award, Malaysia for 1988,1989,1990,1996.[17] Won it for 4 times
2001 – "For the sake of honour" award from Rotary International[17]
2013 – CERA BIG Malayalam Music Awards for Best Female Playback - "Ilaveyil Viralukalayi" (Artist) and "Ponnodu Poovay" (Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty)[72]
2013 – CERA Big Malayalam Music Awards for Face of the Award - Honoured for completing three decades in the industry[72]
2014 – Minimol Memorial Charitable Trust - Sathkeerthi Puraskaram[73]
2014 – Mappila Kala Academy in memory of K Raghavan Master - Sangeetha Ratnam Puraskaram for her contribution to film industry[41]
2014 – K.P. Radhakrishna Menon memorial Kala Ratna Award for her outstanding contributions to music.[40]
2015 – K.P.S Menon Memorial Award 2015 by Chettoor Sankaran Nair Memorial Trust, Ottapalam.[74]
2015 – Harmony International Award 2015 instituted by Marthoma Research Academy, Azhikode, Kodungallur.[75]
Other achievements
She has also received numerous mainstream awards like
MTV Immies, Screen – Videocon Award, Film Fans Association Awards, and
Cinema Express Awards. Chithra was also awarded the 'Vocational Excellence' Award by the Rotary Club of Coimbatore.[76]