He appeared in the leading roles in Raja Harishchandra (1979), Jai Santoshi Maa (1975) and Jai Dwarkadheesh (1977) and has played the roles of Shiva and Vishnu in various mythological films.
Ashish Kumar began his career in Bengali films before making his mark in Hindi films, mainly of the mythological genre.
The landmark film Jai Santoshi Maa (1975) was a blockbuster in every sense, emerging as a national craze.
Ashish Kumar married Bela Bose, his co-actor in a few films, and has a daughter and a son.
He died on 23 November 2013 in Goa, India.